Safety and immunogenicity of gelatin-free varicella vaccine in epidemiological and serological studies in Japan

Following gelatin-containing varicella vaccine (1994-1999: 1,410,000 distributed doses), 28 serious anaphylactic reactions and 139 non-serious allergic reactions were reported, with no serious and only five non-serious reactions following gelatin-free vaccine (1999-2000: 1,300,000 distributed doses). All nine sera available from children with serious reactions tested positive for gelatin-specific IgE, whereas 55 of the 70 available from those with non-serious reactions were positive, with one false positive. There was no correlation between gelatin-specific IgE antibody titers and severity of allergic reaction. Post-immunization anti-varicella antibody titers were comparable for both gelatin-free and gelatin-containing vaccine groups. The new gelatin-free varicella vaccine is thought to be safe, with similar immunogenicity to the earlier gelatin-containing vaccine.