I learned recently that there was a vaccine for Lyme Disease in the late 90s and was shocked. Why would something so useful no longer exist?
As the weather warms up, people spend more time outdoors, in local parks, camping, and hiking. But as the temperature rises, so does the rate of ticks. Ticks can transmit diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease to humans and animals. Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the US and Europe. There are many ways to be proactive about protecting ourselves from these diseases. Wearing long sleeves and pants, using DEET or other repellants, and checking ourselves for ticks. But for people who spend a lot of time in the woods, either for work like Park Rangers, or just for fun, they are likely to get bitten by a tick no matter how proactive they are.
History
According to the NIH, the vaccine that was discontinued was created by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), previously SmithKline Beecham (SKB). After successful double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials, the FDA approved the vaccine in December of 1998. Like the current HPV vaccine it was a series of 3 shots. After all 3, it was 76-92% effective. That’s not perfect, but for people at a high risk of getting Lyme Disease, being 76% is significant.
Reported cases of Lyme Disease from 1992-2004 by month. Source: Wikipedia.
These are male and female deer ticks, the ones responsible for transmitting the Lyme Disease bacteria.
So here’s where it gets confusing. The vaccine was discontinued by GSK in 2002 because sales dropped from 1.5 million in 1999 to 10,000 in 2002. This dramatic decline was because of a class action suit filed in 1999. 121 people who got the vaccine reported symptoms including redness, soreness, and swelling around the injection site. They also reported fevers, myalgias, and chills. All symptoms lasted a median of 3 days and resolved without treatment. However, these are symptoms that can appear after a simple flu shot or many other vaccines. Another concern was the lack of knowledge about the long-term effects of the vaccine. But the only way to know that is to study people who have gotten the vaccine over long periods of time. The FDA did not find any negative effects with the vaccine so their license for the vaccine was not revoked.
Map of Northern Hemisphere locations for cases of Lyme Disease. Source: Wikipedia.
Because of the negative public image that the vaccine got from this class-action suit, it was withdrawn from the market. I don’t know about you, but I would definitely take a few days of minor symptoms if it meant I could have a 76% less chance of getting such a dangerous, prevalent disease that affects so many people in the US and Europe.
There needs to be further study of this disease so we can work towards reducing the risk it puts on our health . What’s shocking is a vaccine for dogs against Lyme Disease has existed since 1991, years before the first vaccine was available for humans.
Current Status
On a more positive note, a company in Austria called Valneva is currently developing a vaccine based on the proteins in the bacteria. In March of 2018 they had just successfully completed Phase I of their clinical trials and were being fast tracked by the FDA.
This news should be very encouraging, because we may soon have a vaccine for Lyme Disease, even though the one from 20 years ago was never found to be truly harmful.
Lyme Disease is highly concentrated in the Northeast, as well as in Michigan and Wisconsin. Source: CDC Tickborne Diseases of the United States Reference Manual for Health Care Providers from 2017.
NIGROVIC, L. E., and K. M. THOMPSON. “The Lyme Vaccine: A Cautionary Tale.” Epidemiology and Infection 135.1 (2007): 1–8. PMC. Web. 8 June 2018.
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/resources/TickborneDiseases.pdf
Gregory A. Poland; Vaccines against Lyme Disease: What Happened and What Lessons Can We Learn?, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 52, Issue suppl_3, 1 February 2011, Pages s253–s258, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciq116
Ariel Plotnick
Sierra Club Maryland Chapter Stewardship Outings Coordinator Intern
stewardship.outings@mdsierra.org
301-277-7111
