NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators have approved the vaccine Boostrix for use in adults, U.K.-based drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Monday. Boostrix offers protection against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. It was previously approved as a booster vaccine for ages 10 to 18. The Food and Drug Administration approved its use in patients ages 19 to 64. The latest approval was based on two clinical trials involving about 3,000 adults who received the vaccination. Whooping cough can linger for weeks in older patients, who usually recover from it. But they can spread it to not-yet-vaccinated infants who can die from the bacterial infection, also called pertussis. French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA also makes a vaccine called Adacel that targets tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough in people ages 11 to 64.
