Recall of Imovax® Rabies Vaccine

April 20, 2004

The Public Health Agency of Canada is aware of the recall of the recall by Aventis Pasteur of several lots of its Imovax® Rabies, Rabies Vaccine (Human Diploid cell). A quality assurance test of the vaccine revealed the presence of non-inactivated Pitman-Moore virus (the attenuated vaccine strain) in a single product lot.

Aventis Pasteur has issued a voluntary recall for all lots of the product produced during the same time period. All customers who have received the following lots of the vaccine, which were produced in the same period, are being contacted: X0667-2, XO667-3, W1419-2, and W1419-3. These lost passed all release tests and no adverse events associated with the vaccine have been reported.

Although the lots listed above were distributed in the United States, NONE been distributed in Canada. Other lots of recalled vaccine were also distributed internationally, and Aventis is working to determine the lot numbers and countries to which they were released.

For more information, please contact Aventis Pasteur at 1-800-835-1349 or visit their web site.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has issued further recommendations for persons who have received or begun a rabies vaccination series from the recalled lot.

A Statement on Travellers and Rabies Vaccine is available from Canada's Committee to Advise on Travel and Tropical Medicine.