Vaccine Excipient Summary

Excipients Included in U.S. Vaccines, by Vaccine

In addition to weakened or killed disease antigens (viruses or bacteria), vaccines contain very small amounts of other ingredients – excipients.

Some excipients are added to a vaccine for a specific purpose. These include:
Preservatives, to prevent contamination. For example, thimerosal.
Adjuvants, to help stimulate a stronger immune response. For example, aluminum salts.
Stabilizers, to keep the vaccine potent during transportation and storage. For example, sugars or gelatin.

Check the list as a pdf. All information was extracted from manufacturers’ package inserts.

The date shown in the Date column of the table is the edition date of the PI is use in February 2020.
If a date contains an asterisk (*), the PI was not dated and this is the date the PI was reviewed for this table. If in doubt about whether a PI has been updated since this table was prepared, check the FDA’s website at: http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm093833.htm All influenza vaccine in this table are 2019-20 northern hemisphere formulation.

Original Link of the Table: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf

A table listing vaccine excipients and media by excipient is published by the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University.