Drug giant Abbott Laboratories said yesterday that it has begun marketing Certiva, a child vaccine developed and manufactured by North American Vaccine Inc. of Beltsville, to pediatricians and other health care providers.

Certiva is the first North American Vaccine product to hit the U.S. market.

Abbott has rights to market the vaccine, which provides protection against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, or whooping cough, to the private physician and managed-care markets in the United States under an agreement with North American Vaccine.

North American's vaccine will compete for a share of the $300 million-a-year U.S. market for whooping cough vaccines with SmithKline Beecham PLC, American Home Products Corp. and Rhone Poulenc SA, all of which have had new pertussis vaccines the U.S. market since late last year.

Analysts originally expected that the Food and Drug Administration would approve Certiva by the end of last year. But approval was delayed when the FDA requested additional information about the vaccine and results of clinical trials.

Pub Date: 10/17/98