The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a vaccine made to protect babies against rotavirus, a common gastrointestinal illness.

Merck & Co. is manufacturing the drug, which will be sold as RotaTeq. It will be the first time since 1999 that a rotavirus vaccine will be available, reports The Associated Press

Tests on two investigational vaccines for rotavirus, which causes diarrhea, appear to be safe and effective.

Reports of tests on more than 131,000 infants suggest the vaccines will be able to prevent an infection that accounts for one in three hospitalizations for diarrhea, reports MedPageToday

A vaccine against a Rotavirus may be fast approaching the U.S. market.

The virus leads to the hospitalization of thousands of children in the U.S. with diarrhea and kills millions in developing countries

Reviewers with the Food and Drug Administration find an experimental vaccine, aimed at preventing a sometimes fatal diarrheal infection in infants, seems to be effective.

An FDA reviewer, however, says the agency needs more information on one trial from manufacturer Merck and Co. before it fully gauges the effectiveness of Rotateq