<p>The first Indian vaccine against rotavirus has received a World Health Organisation certification, making it eligible for purchase by global agencies like Unicef and GAVI to tackle killer diarrhoea in other nations.<br /><br />The WHO pre-qualification certification came nearly three decades after medical scientists from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, isolated the vaccine strain from an infant nursery in Delhi.<br /><br />The rotavirus vaccine - manufactured by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech - is being used in the universal immunisation programme in nine states and set to be rolled out in the tenth state, Jharkhand, in a month or two.<br /><br />Because of the WHO norm, African nations like Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola can look at the Indian vaccine as a cheaper option to tackle the disease burden, said Duncan Steele from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that invested nearly $70 million in the Indian vaccine.<br /><br />"In India, the vaccine is offered at a cost of one dollar for a dose. For other countries we will have two price bands for low and middle-income countries. We received the WHO certification on January 7. Now a team from Unicef is coming to discuss purchase," Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director of Bharat Biotech, told DH.<br /><br />Currently there are three rotavirus vaccines from Merck, GSK and Bharat Biotech. A fourth one that can protect against multiple strains of rotavirus is under development at Serum Institute of India, Pune.<br /><br />"There are scientific studies to show that the Bharat Biotech vaccine offers cross protection against other strains," said Steele, a former WHO official, who coordinated a global strategic agenda for vaccine research for major diarrhoeal and enteric diseases.<br /><br />While there are other Indian vaccines with WHO pre-qualification, this is the first rotavirus vaccine from India with that certification.<br /><br />Rotavirus is the commonest cause of diarrhoeal death among children. The estimated death count in India is up to 80,000 every year along with 8,00,000 hospitalisations. Even with its 60% efficacy, it can save thousands of children's deaths.<br /><br />A modelling study published in the journal Vaccine in 2014 claimed if the rotavirus vaccine is introduced along with third dose of DPT, it will avert about 44,500 under-five deaths in India each year.</p>
<p>The first Indian vaccine against rotavirus has received a World Health Organisation certification, making it eligible for purchase by global agencies like Unicef and GAVI to tackle killer diarrhoea in other nations.<br /><br />The WHO pre-qualification certification came nearly three decades after medical scientists from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, isolated the vaccine strain from an infant nursery in Delhi.<br /><br />The rotavirus vaccine - manufactured by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech - is being used in the universal immunisation programme in nine states and set to be rolled out in the tenth state, Jharkhand, in a month or two.<br /><br />Because of the WHO norm, African nations like Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola can look at the Indian vaccine as a cheaper option to tackle the disease burden, said Duncan Steele from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that invested nearly $70 million in the Indian vaccine.<br /><br />"In India, the vaccine is offered at a cost of one dollar for a dose. For other countries we will have two price bands for low and middle-income countries. We received the WHO certification on January 7. Now a team from Unicef is coming to discuss purchase," Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director of Bharat Biotech, told DH.<br /><br />Currently there are three rotavirus vaccines from Merck, GSK and Bharat Biotech. A fourth one that can protect against multiple strains of rotavirus is under development at Serum Institute of India, Pune.<br /><br />"There are scientific studies to show that the Bharat Biotech vaccine offers cross protection against other strains," said Steele, a former WHO official, who coordinated a global strategic agenda for vaccine research for major diarrhoeal and enteric diseases.<br /><br />While there are other Indian vaccines with WHO pre-qualification, this is the first rotavirus vaccine from India with that certification.<br /><br />Rotavirus is the commonest cause of diarrhoeal death among children. The estimated death count in India is up to 80,000 every year along with 8,00,000 hospitalisations. Even with its 60% efficacy, it can save thousands of children's deaths.<br /><br />A modelling study published in the journal Vaccine in 2014 claimed if the rotavirus vaccine is introduced along with third dose of DPT, it will avert about 44,500 under-five deaths in India each year.</p>
