Anthrax vaccine suspension for injection 5ml multidose vials
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Anthrax vaccine is a vaccine used for the pre- or post-exposure prophylaxis of disease in those at high risk of, suspected or confirmed exposure to *Bacillus anthracis*.
Safety information for pregnancy and breastfeeding
Pregnancy
available data on BioThrax (a licensed anthrax vaccine), administered to pregnant individuals are relevant to CYFENDUS because BioThrax and CYFENDUS contain the same active ingredient and are manufactured similarly.
In the observational study, there were more birth defects in infants born to individuals vaccinated with BioThrax in the first trimester compared to individuals vaccinated post-pregnancy or individuals never vaccinated with BioThrax.
In a developmental study with an embryo-fetal development toxicity phase, female rats were administered a full human dose (0.5 mL) of CYFENDUS twice prior to mating and once during gestation.
Always consult your doctor or midwife before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Source: DrugBank (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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1 branded products available
MHRA licensed products
View all licensed products for Anthrax vaccine on the MHRA register
BioThrax suspension for injection 5ml multidose vials
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
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Supply & safety information
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Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. Shortage and safety information sourced from MHRA drug safety updates (gov.uk, Crown Copyright under OGL v3.0).
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing all 30 studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 2 · Randomised trials: 1 · 1984–2026
Showing all 30 studies, sorted by most relevant.
Drobic B, Akintunde G, Kim J, et al.
2026
- Immunogenicity, Vaccine
- Anthrax
- Adjuvants, Vaccine
Peter C.B. Turnbull
Vaccine, 1991
- Bacterial Vaccines
- Anthrax
- Bacillus anthracis
B.E. Ivins, M.L.M. Pitt, P.F. Fellows, et al.
Vaccine, 1998
- Bacterial Vaccines
- Administration, Inhalation
- Aerosols
Arthur M. Friedlander, Phillip R. Pittman, Gerald W. Parker
JAMA, 1999
- Bacterial Vaccines
- Biological Warfare
- Anthrax
Ryan C McComb, Mikhail Martchenko
Vaccine, 2016
- Antibodies, Bacterial
- Antigens, Bacterial
- Antitoxins
J. Schiffer, M. McNeil, C. Quinn
Expert review of vaccines, 2016
- Anthrax
- Immunization Schedule
- Injections, Intramuscular
Peter Hambleton, J.Anthony Carman, Jack Melling
Vaccine, 1984
- Bacterial Vaccines
- Anthrax
- Antigens, Bacterial
E.N. Shlyakhov, E. Rubinstein
Vaccine, 1994
- Anthrax
- Antigens, Bacterial
- Bacillus anthracis
D CHABOT
Vaccine, 2004
- Anthrax
- Antibodies, Bacterial
- Antigens, Bacterial
Liwei Zhai, Yuee Zhao, Xiaolin Song, et al.
Emerging Microbes & Infections, 2023
- Anthrax
- Bacillus anthracis
- Anthrax Vaccines
Pulmonary anthrax is the most fatal clinical form of anthrax and currently available injectable vaccines do not provide adequate protection against it. Hence, next-generation vaccines that effectively induce immunity against pulmonary anthrax are urgently needed. In the present study, we prepared an attenuated and low protease activity Bacillus anthracis strain A16R-5.1 by deleting five of its extracellular protease activity-associated genes and its lef gene through the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system. This mutant strain was then used to formulate a lethal toxin (LeTx)-free culture supernatant extract (CSE) anthrax vaccine, of which half was protective antigen (PA). We generated liquid, powder, and powder reconstituted formulations that could be delivered by aerosolized intratracheal inoculation. All of them induced strong humoral, cellular, and mucosal immune responses. The vaccines also produced LeTx neutralizing antibodies and conferred full protection against the lethal aerosol challenges of B. anthracis Pasteur II spores in mice. Compared to the recombinant PA vaccine, the CSE anthrax vaccine with equal PA content provided superior immunoprotection against pulmonary anthrax. The preceding results suggest that the CSE anthrax vaccine developed herein is suitable and scalable for use in inhalational immunization against pulmonary anthrax.
Abstract licence: CC BY
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
Not available
Mechanism
The anthrax vaccine induces antibodies raised against PA that may contribute to…
Food interactions
None known
Human targets
None mapped
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
Half-life
Protein binding
Volume of distribution
Metabolism
Elimination
Clearance
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
There are currently 2 anthrax vaccines approved by the FDA: BioThrax in August 15, 2016 and CYFENDUS in July 20, 2023.[L47566][L47561] These vaccines are currently stored in the Strategic National Stockpile in preparation for an Anthrax terrorist attack or for pre-exposure prophylaxis of personnel going to specific arenas around the world.[L47561]
[L47526]
BioThrax is also approved for the same condition but is also used for pre-exposure prophylaxis for people whose occupation or other activities place them at high risk of exposure.
[L47536]
The efficacy of CYFENDUS for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is based solely on studies in animal models of inhalational anthrax.
[L47526]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 452 interactions
available data on BioThrax (a licensed anthrax vaccine), administered to pregnant individuals are relevant to CYFENDUS because BioThrax and CYFENDUS contain the same active ingredient and are manufactured similarly.
BioThrax does not contain CPG 7909 adjuvant. Data are available from a BioThrax observational study and pregnancy exposure registry.
[L47526]
In the observational study, there were more birth defects in infants born to individuals vaccinated with BioThrax in the first trimester compared to individuals vaccinated post-pregnancy or individuals never vaccinated with BioThrax. Data from the BioThrax pregnancy exposure registry do not establish the presence or absence of vaccine-associated risks in pregnancy.
[L47526]
In a developmental study with an embryo-fetal development toxicity phase, female rats were administered a full human dose (0.5 mL) of CYFENDUS twice prior to mating and once during gestation.
This study revealed no evidence of harm to the fetus, changes in reproductive performance, or adverse effects on post-natal development due to the vaccine.
[L47526]
The anthrax vaccine has not been evaluated for carcinogenicity, mutagenic potential, or male infertility in animals. Anthrax vaccine administered to female rats had no effect on fertility.
[L47526]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Anthrax vaccine
DrugBank citations
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