FDA Lifts Pause on Chikungunya Vaccine in Older Adults, With Revised Labeling

The chikungunya live-attenuated vaccine (Ixchiq) can once again be used in people ages 60 and older, after the FDA reversed a recommended pause spurred by serious adverse events in vaccinated older adults.

"Based on the available data, and its benefit-risk assessment, FDA has removed the recommended pause in the use of Ixchiq in individuals 60 years of age and older," the agency said in a statement. The FDA also updated labeling for the vaccine and strengthened warnings for seniors.

In May, the FDA and CDC jointly called for a pause in the use of the vaccine in people 60 and older. That halt was a response to reports of 17 serious adverse events in people who had received the vaccine, including two fatalities. The adverse events were primarily neurologic and cardiac, and all occurred