Patient Leaflet Updated 19-Jun-2024 | Valneva UK Limited
Rabipur
Rabipur
Powder and solvent for solution for injection in pre-filled syringe
Rabies virus (Inactivated, strain Flury LEP)
1. What Rabipur is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you/your child receives Rabipur
3. How to use Rabipur
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Rabipur
6. Contents of the pack and other information
Rabipur is a vaccine containing rabies virus that has been killed. After administration of the vaccine, the immune system (the body's natural defence system) forms antibodies to rabies viruses. These antibodies protect from infections or diseases by the virus that causes rabies. None of the components of the vaccine can cause rabies.
Rabipur can be used in individuals of all ages.
Rabipur can be used to prevent rabies:
Rabies is an infection that can be transmitted when a person is bitten, scratched or even just licked by an infected animal, particularly when the skin is already injured. Even contact with animal traps that were licked or bitten by infected animals can cause infections in humans.
Because of the seriousness of rabies infection, Rabipur can be given to anyone if they have been exposed to rabies, even those who are pregnant.
If you or your child is known to be at risk of a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or to any of the ingredients, you/your child may be given a different vaccine against rabies that does not contain these ingredients. If there is no alternative vaccine available, your doctor or nurse will discuss the risks of vaccination and rabies virus infection with you before you or your child receives the vaccine.
In case of acute disease requiring treatment, vaccination is usually postponed until at least 2 weeks after recovery. The presence of a minor infection should not require postponement of the vaccination, but talk to your doctor or nurse first.
Tell your doctor or nurse before you or your child receives Rabipur for post exposure prophylaxis if you/your child:
Fainting can occur following, or even before, any needle injection, therefore tell the doctor or nurse if you fainted with a previous injection.
Cases of very rare but severe conditions affecting the nervous system have been reported following the receipt of Rabipur vaccine. See section 4. Anti-inflammatory medicines (steroids), often used to treat these conditions, may interfere with the effectiveness of the vaccine (see below, other medicines and Rabipur).
Your doctor or nurse will decide how to proceed in this circumstance.
As with all vaccines, Rabipur may not fully protect all people who are vaccinated.
The vaccine should not be given into the buttocks, under the skin or into a blood vessel.
Tell your doctor or nurse if you are /your child is taking, have/has recently taken, or plan to take any other medicines, even those not prescribed. Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, you/your child should continue to take all prescribed medicines as usual.
If you or your child already has a poor immune system or is already taking medicines that reduce the body’s immunity to infections, Rabipur can still be given but you/your child may not be as well protected as other people. In this case, your/your child’s doctor may decide to carry out blood tests after the vaccine administration, to check if the body has produced enough antibodies to the virus. If necessary, you/your child will be given extra doses of the vaccine (see section 3 of this leaflet).
Rabipur can be given at the same time as other inactivated vaccines. A different injection site will be used for each type of vaccine.
You/Your child may also need to be given an injection of antibodies against rabies (called “rabies immunoglobulin”) if you or your child have not been fully vaccinated against rabies and it is very likely that you or your child has been infected with the virus. If so, the rabies immunoglobulin injection (given only once and usually with the first dose of the vaccine) and the vaccine will be given in different parts of the body.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, if you think you may be pregnant, or are planning to have a baby, you should still be given rabies vaccine if you have had, or are likely to have had, contact with the virus.
You can also be vaccinated with Rabipur during pregnancy or while breastfeeding and before exposure to the virus, if the risk of contact with the virus is thought to be considerable. In this instance, your doctor will discuss the risks of vaccination and rabies infection with you and advise on the best timing of Rabipur vaccination.
Some of the adverse effects described in section 4 of this leaflet may affect the ability to drive and use machines.
Less than 23 mg of sodium per dose, and is therefore essentially ‘sodium-free’.
Rabipur will be given to you/your child by a doctor or nurse who has been trained to give vaccines.
Treatment that may be needed to manage very serious types of allergic reactions that can occur after receipt of the vaccine should be available (see section 4 of this leaflet). The vaccine should be given to you/your child in a clinic or surgery that has the necessary equipment to treat these reactions.
Instructions intended for doctors and medical personnel for reconstituting the vaccine can be found at the end of this leaflet.
The recommended dose for adults and children of any age is one millilitre (1.0 ml) per injection.
Your doctor will decide how many doses you/your child should receive; this will depend on whether you/your child are/is being given Rabipur before or after any possible contact with the virus.
The vaccine is given as an injection into a muscle (usually in the upper arm, or in small children, into the muscle of the thigh).
BEFORE ANY POSSIBLE CONTACT WITH THE VIRUS
If you have/your child has never had any rabies vaccine before:
If you/your child miss an appointment for an injection, you should arrange to have it as soon as possible after the due date.
The need for boosters depends on the risk of contact with rabies virus. Your doctor will consult the official recommendations on rabies vaccination and will tell you when a booster is needed.
If you are at continuous high risk of infection, your doctor may also ask you to have regular blood tests to measure the amount of antibody against rabies in your blood so that boosters can be given as soon as needed. Experience shows that booster doses are generally required every 2-5 years.
AFTER SUSPECTED OR PROVEN CONTACT WITH THE VIRUS
Vaccinated people
If you have/your child has already been fully vaccinated against rabies and/or have received boosters, and have been in contact with a rabid or suspected rabid animal, you/ your child usually need 2 more doses of vaccine (1.0 ml each). The first dose is given as soon as possible after the contact, and the second is given 3 days later.
Unvaccinated people
If you/your child have/has not been vaccinated before or received inadequate basic immunisation, either 4 or 5 doses (1.0 ml each) will be given according to one of the following schedules:
After any possible contact with rabies virus, your doctor will consider the risk of infection according to the type of contact you have/your child has had. For example, if you have been bitten or scratched by an animal that could have the virus, or have been in contact with bats, you are at much greater risk of rabies infection than someone who has been licked but has no break in the skin.
People with a compromised immune system (poor immunity to infection)
If you have/your child has an increased risk of rabies infection because your immune system is not working properly, you/your child will need five or six doses (each of 1.0 ml) of rabies vaccine after contact with a rabid or suspected rabid animal. Vaccination is given in combination with local treatment of the wound and rabies immunoglobulin.
If six doses are used, the first two are given as soon as possible after the contact, and then single doses are given on days 3, 7, 14 and 28 after the first dose.
If five doses are used, the first dose is given as soon as possible after the contact, and the others are given on days 3, 7, 14 and 28 after the first dose.
It may also be necessary for you/your child to have blood tests to measure the amount of antibody to rabies virus in your/your child’s blood so that extra doses of vaccine can be given if needed. Your doctor will explain what needs to be done and will tell you when to attend for extra tests or doses.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Serious allergic reactions involving the whole body, sometimes associated with shock (dangerously low blood pressure)* can occur following Rabipur vaccination. Appropriate medical treatment and supervision should always be readily available in case of a rare severe allergic reaction to the vaccine. Talk to a doctor straight away if they happen.
The most common side effects reported with the use of Rabipur were pain at the injection site, mainly pain due to the injection, or hardness of the skin at the site of injection. These reactions are very common (occurring in more than 1 in 10 persons). Most injection site reactions were not severe and resolved within 24 to 48 hours after injection.
Other side effects include:
Very common (these may affect more than 1 in 10 people)
Headache
Dizziness
Rash
General discomfort
Fatigue
Weakness
Fever
Common (these may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
Swollen glands
Decreased appetite
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Stomach pain/discomfort
Hives
Muscles pain
Joint pain
Rare (these may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
Allergic reactions
Pins and needles or tingling sensations
Sweating
Chills
Very rare (these may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
Inflammation of the brain, nerve disturbances that can cause weakness, inability to move or loss of feeling in some parts of the body*
Fainting, unsteadiness with dizziness*
Serious allergic reaction which causes swelling of the face or throat*
*Description of adverse reactions from spontaneous reporting
Frequency, type and severity of adverse reactions in children are expected to be the same as in adults.
If you or your child get any side effects, talk to your doctor or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this vaccine out of the sight and reach of children.
Store protected from light in a refrigerator (at 2°C to 8°C). Do not freeze.
Keep the vial and the syringe in the outer carton in order to protect from light.
Do not use this vaccine after the expiry date which is stated on the outer carton. The expiry date refers to the last day of the month. Do not throw away any vaccine via wastewater. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
The active substance in the vaccine is rabies virus (inactivated, strain Flury LEP) ≥ 2.5 IU. This has been produced on purified chick embryo cells (PCEC).
The other ingredients are: trometamol, sodium chloride, disodium edetate, potassium-L-glutamate, polygeline, sucrose and water for injections.
Chicken proteins (e.g., ovalbumin), human serum albumin, neomycin, chlortetracycline, amphotericin B are present as residues.
Rabipur is a white freeze-dried powder to be reconstituted with the clear colourless solvent. The reconstituted vaccine is clear to slightly opalescent and colourless to slightly pink.
Rabipur is supplied in packs containing 1 vial of the powder, 1 disposable pre-filled syringe of sterile diluent with 1 small orange needle for injection and one long green needle for reconstitution.
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This leaflet was last revised in April 2024.
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