bivalent hand, foot and mouth disease vaccine

The bivalent hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) vaccine is an inactivated viral vaccine designed to provide broad protection against the two primary causative agents of HFMD: Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) and Coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16). Developed by several Chinese biopharmaceutical companies, including Sinovac and the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, the vaccine typically utilizes a Vero cell-based platform where the viruses are grown, harvested, and inactivated with formaldehyde. The mechanism of action involves the induction of high titers of neutralizing antibodies against the structural proteins (primarily VP1) of both EV-A71 and CV-A16, thereby preventing viral entry and replication in the host. This bivalent approach addresses the limitation of monovalent EV-A71 vaccines, which do not provide cross-protection against CV-A16, a major cause of HFMD outbreaks and associated neurological or cardiovascular complications in young children.

Other names

Bivalent inactivated HFMD vaccineEnterovirus 71 and Coxsackievirus A16 vaccineEnterovirus71 and Coxsackievirus A16 vaccineEnterovirus-71 and Coxsackievirus A16 vaccine