What's even in a vaccine?

Probably something everyone should know

May 03, 2023

Types of ingredients:

Stabilizers- Used to maintain efficacy post-manufacturing
- Sugar
- Gelatin
Residual inactivating ingredients- Used to kill viruses or inactivate toxins
- Formaldehyde
Residual cell culture material- Used to grow the virus or bacteria that will be used in the vaccine
- Egg Protein
- Fetal Cell Material
- Insect cultures***
Residual antibiotics- Used to prevent contamination by bacteria during manufacturing process
- Neomycin
- Kanamycin
- Streptomycin
Preservatives- To prevent contamination
- Thimerosal
Adjuvants- To activate or boost the body’s immune response
- Aluminum

As the childhood schedule continues to grow at an alarming rate, we are starting to see more and more shots being thrown together. After all, ANY reasonable mom, regardless of how pro-vax she may be, is going to question 8 needles being laid out at a 2 month well baby check. So now they are just putting more together into one needle.

Excipients for the newer commonly compounded vaccines:

DTaP-Hib (TriHIBit)

Aluminum potassium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, bovine extract, formaldehyde or formalin, gelatin, polysorbate 80, sucrose, thimerosal

DTaP-IPV (Kinrix) Diphtheria, Tetanus, A Cell Pertussis, Polio

Aluminum hydroxide, calf serum, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, lactalbumin hydrolysate, neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B, polysorbate 80

DTaP-HepB-IPV (Pediarix) Diphtheria, Tetanus, A Cell Pertussis, Hep B, Polio

Aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, calf serum, lactalbumin hydrolysate, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B, polysorbate 80, yeast protein

DTaP-IPV-Hib (Pentacel) Diphtheria, Tetanus, A Cell Pertussis, Polio, Hib

Aluminum phosphate, bovine serum albumin, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, MRC-5 cellular protein, neomycin, polymyxin B sulfate, polysorbate 80, 2-phenoxyethanol

Excipients for other common vaccines:

DTaP:

Daptacel: Aluminum phosphate, formaldehyde, Glutaraldehyde, 2-phenoxyethanol

Infanrix: Aluminum hydroxide, bovine extract, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, polysorbate 80

Tripedia: Aluminum potassium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, bovine extract, formaldehyde, gelatin, peptone, polysorbate 80, sodium phosphate, thimerosal

HIB

ActHIB: Ammonium sulfate, formaldehyde, sucrose

PedvaxHib: Aluminum hydroxy phosphate sulfate

Hiberix: Formaldehyde, lactose

Hep A:

Havrix: Aluminum hydroxide, amino acid supplement, formalin, MRC-5 cellular protein, neomycin sulfate, phosphate buffers, polysorbate 20

Vaqta: Amorphous aluminum hydroxy phosphate sulfate, bovine albumin or serum, formaldehyde, MRC-5 cellular protein, sodium borate

Heb B:

Engerix-B: Aluminum hydroxide, phosphate buffers, yeast protein

Recombivax HB: Amorphous aluminum hydroxy phosphate sulfate, amino acids, dextrose, formaldehyde, mineral salts, potassium aluminum sulfate, soy peptone, yeast protein

HPV:

Gardasil: Amino acids, amorphous aluminum hydroxy phosphate sulfate, carbohydrates, L-histidine, mineral salts, polysorbate 80, sodium borate, vitamins, yeast protein

Cervarix: Aluminum hydroxide, amino acids, lipids, mineral salts, sodium dihydrogen phosphate dehydrate, type 16 viral protein L1, type 18 viral protein L1, vitamins

Meningococcal vaccine:

Menactra: Formaldehyde (Each 0.5 mL dose may contain residual amounts of formaldehyde of less than 2.66 µg (0.000532%), by calculation), phosphate buffers

Menomune: Lactose, thimerosal

Menveo: Amino acids, formaldehyde, yeast extract

MMR (Measels, Mumps, Rubella):

MMR-2- Amino acids, fetal bovine serum, glutamate, hydrolyzed gelatin, neomycin, recombinant human serum albumin, sodium phosphate, sorbitol, sucrose, vitamins

ProQuad- Bovine calf serum, dibasic potassium phosphate, dibasic sodium phosphate, human albumin, human serum albumin, hydrolyzed gelatin, monobasic potassium phosphate, monosodium L-glutamate, MRC-5 cellular protein, neomycin, sodium bicarbonate, sorbitol, sucrose, potassium chloride

Pneumococcal vaccine:

Prevnar- Aluminum phosphate, ammonium sulfate, casamino acid, polysorbate 80, succinate buffer, yeast

Polio:

IPV-Ipol- Calf serum protein, formaldehyde, neomycin, 2-phenoxyethanol, polymyxin B, streptomycin

Rotavirus:

RotaTeq- Fetal bovine serum, sodium citrate, sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate, sodium hydroxide, sucrose, polysorbate 80

TDaP (Tetanus, Diphtheria, A Cellular Pertussis:

Adacel- Aluminum phosphate, ammonium sulfate, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, 2-phenoxyethanol

Boostrix- Aluminum hydroxide, bovine extract, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, polysorbate 80

Varicella (Chicken Pox):

Varivax- Dibasic sodium phosphate, ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid[ sodium (EDTA), fetal bovine serum, gelatin, glutamate, monobasic potassium phosphate, monobasic sodium phosphate, monosodium L-glutamate, MRC-5 DNA and cellular protein, neomycin, phosphate, potassium chloride, sucrose

Flu Shots:

Influenza vaccine (Afluria)

Beta-propiolactone, calcium chloride, dibasic sodium phosphate, egg protein, monobasic potassium phosphate, monobasic sodium phosphate, neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B, potassium chloride, sodium taurodeoxycholate, thimerosal (multi-dose vials only)

Influenza vaccine (Agriflu)

Egg proteins, formaldehyde, polysorbate 80, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, neomycin sulfate, kanamycin

Influenza vaccine (Fluad)

Squalene, polysorbate 80, sorbitan trioleate, sodium citrate dehydrate, citric acid monohydrate, neomycin, kanamycin, barium, egg proteins, CTAB(cetyltrimethylammonium bromide), formaldehyde

Influenza vaccine (Fluarix)

Formaldehyde, octoxynol-10 (Triton X-100), α-tocopheryl hydrogen succinate, polysorbate 80 (Tween 80), hydrocortisone, gentamicin sulfate, ovalbumin, sodium deoxycholate, sucrose, phosphate buffer

Influenza vaccine (Flublok)

Monobasic sodium phosphate, dibasic sodium phosphate, polysorbate 20, baculovirus and host cell proteins, baculovirus and cellular DNA, Triton X-100, lipids, vitamins, amino acids, mineral salts

Influenza vaccine (Flucelvax)

Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell protein, MDCK cell DNA, polysorbate 80, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, β-propiolactone, phosphate buffer

Influenza vaccine (Flulaval)

Formaldehyde, á-tocopheryl hydrogen succinate, polysorbate 80, sodium deoxycholate, thimerosal, ovalbumin

Influenza vaccine (Fluvirin)

Beta-propiolactone, egg protein, neomycin, nonylphenol ethoxylate, polymyxin, thimerosal (multi-dose containers), thimerosal (single-dose syringes)

Influenza vaccine (Fluzone)

Egg protein, formaldehyde, gelatin (standard formulation only), octylphenol ethoxylate (Triton X-100), sodium phosphate, thimerosal (multi-dose containers only)