The Hindu Business Line : `Developing nations to be self-sufficient in vaccines soon'

A RECENT article had stated that developing countries are now inventing more solutions to health problems and such health innovations include new drugs, vaccines, diagnostic tests, software and medical devices.

This was the gist of the annual general meeting of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN), held here recently.

Dr Cyrus Poonawala, Chairman, Serum Institute of India, said the DCVMN members were now strengthening their manufacturing capacities and were looking at development and launch of newer vaccines. "The day when members of DCVMN will meet all their requirements for vaccines is not very far. Our vaccines need to be affordably priced to be within the reach of the common man in the Third World,'' he said.

Dr Suresh Jadhav, President of DCVMN and Executive Director of Serum Institute, said the network established in 2000 with a membership of seven had now 29 members from 14 countries.

These included members from China, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, India, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Cuba and Yugoslavia.

Asked about the capacity expansion that would be required for 100 per cent delivery, he said currently the global child population stood at 128 million of which about 26 million came from India and about 19 million from China. About 12 million was from the developed countries of the US, Europe and Japan. He said the 29 members of the DCVMN met almost 80 per cent of the requirement of the essential vaccines for basic immunisation of new borns.

Dr Jadhavsaid DCVMN member companies were now expanding their capacities and adding new technologies including DTP based combination vaccines with Hepatitis B, Hib etc. Research and development efforts were on towards rotavirus, pneumococcus, meningococcal, dengue and other vaccines. He pointed out that the vaccine for pneumococccus, which causes uterine cancer, had been recently launched in the US and costs about $150 per dose.

This threat was more common in India, South-East Asia and Africa where sanitation was a major issue, he said.

Dr Jadhavsaid ongoing collaborative research was being conducted by WHO, PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) and NIH, US along with Serum Institute for meningitis vaccine.

Phase I clinical trials have been completed and clearance for the Phase II trials was awaited.

The Serum Institute of India has recently signed an agreement with the international Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP), run by WHO and the international charity PATH.

The so-called conjugate meningitis vaccine A (Men A) is being developed at the Serum Institute's Lab in Puneapplying new US technology supplied by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The raw materials - group Apolysaccharides - are being supplied by SynCo Bio Partners based in Amsterdam.

The joint venture will produce 25 millions doses of the vaccine every year at a cost as low as $ 0.40 per dose for the African meningitis belt.

Serum Institute to set up SEZ

SERUM Institute of India has recently been given approval by the Government to set up a special economic zone for exports of vaccines.

Dr Cyrus Poonawala, Chairman, said this would be located in Hadapsar, an industrial area, where the Serum Institute was also located. He said the new zone would manufacture vaccines for pneumonia, rotovirus, combination vaccines for the entire range of meningitis, influenza and Hib.

Dr Poonawala said an investment of Rs 500 crore has been earmarked for this capacity expansion and added that about one billion doses of various vaccines would be produced on an annual basis. The construction of the facility would begin by December and would be completed within two years. This was the first such facility in Pune, he said. The funds for the investment would come from internal accruals of the company.

Dr Poonawala said WHO has already prequalified the premises and he added that export of oncology products for the US and Europe markets was being explored. Dr Poonawala said the Serum Institute had recorded a turnover of Rs 600 crore for the fiscal ended March 2005 and was targetting Rs 750 crore turnover for this fiscal.

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