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Arexvy

This is one of the vaccines that protects against RSV

Relevant Terms

  • Antibody: a protein made by the immune system in response to a foreign particle (antigen). These proteins circulate in the blood and help defend the body against the substance.  

  • Antigen: This is any substance that triggers the immune system to create antibodies. For example, allergens such as pollen are antigens. 

  • Attenuated: The pathogen is weakened but not completely inactivated. Attenuated pathogens are too weak to cause disease in almost all people.

  • Genome: all of the genetic information in a cell. 

  • pH: a measure of how acidic or basic a solution is. The scale ranges from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic). A pH of 7 is neutral.

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Last updated: Mar. 1, 2023

Active ingredients:

The active ingredient in this vaccine is recombinant RSVPreF3 antigen. 

RSVPreF3 is a glycoprotein (a protein with a sugar attached to it).

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This is a recombinant protein vaccine, which means that the instructions to make  are inserted into the genome of cells so that they produce the proteins. 

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This vaccine also contains an adjuvant called AS01E, which contains 2 ingredients: MPL and QS-21. MPL is derived from a species of bacteria called Salmonella minnesota, and QS-21 is derived from the soap bark tree. QS-21 is also used as an adjuvant in a treatment for leukemia (a type of cancer) in cats.

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Note: this vaccine contains trace amounts of DNA and proteins from the cells used to produce the surface antigen. These cells are Chinese hamster ovary cells. 

Inactive ingredients:
Amounts are based on a 0.5 mL dose

Salts: help maintain the stability and pH of the vaccine

Carbohydrates (sugars): normally used as stabilizers in vaccines

Lipids (fats): lipids do not dissolve in water, so they are used to create a protective coating around the active ingredient. This coating is also called a liposome.

Other Stabilizers:

Sources

Last updated: Sep. 9, 2023

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