Indian Immunological Ltd (IIL), a leading vaccine manufacturer, has made progress in developing vaccines to combat chikungunya and Japanese Encephalitis virus (JEV).

According to the company, it has joined the league of very few companies in the world focused on developing the world's first vaccine for chikungunya. “IIL is developing a vaccine for this disease using a virus strain isolated by a laboratory in the USA”.

With no vaccine to prevent it, the research assumes significant. Chikungunyahad reared its head with severe infestation first in 2006. In Tamil Nadu and Orissa alone, 74,000 cases were reported that year. It is a crippling disease affecting bones and limbs of patients.

In the case of Japanese Encephalitis, the IIL has been into developing a live vaccine. It is expected to be a better and safer one by producing the virus in cell culture, instead of using mouse brain for growing the virus, which the current vaccine manufacturers do. The inactivated JEV vaccine is thus a safer vaccine,” said Mr K.V. Balasubramaniam, Managing Director, Indian Immunologicals.

Right now both the vaccines were undergoing pre-clinical toxicology studies, he said in a release.

“We are expecting to enter human trials in the next 6-12 months, and commercialisation within 24-36 months. Once approved, IIL intends to manufacture these products at its vaccines manufacturing facility that is being constructed in Karakapatla in the suburbs of Hyderabad,” said Dr Ramesh Mathur, General Manager, R&D.

Mortality is high for JEV infection. In 2011, Uttar Pradesh reported over 4,000 cases of JEV with 376 deaths. Patients who recover from these viral infections suffer for many years. Elderly and young children are at high risk.

>soma@thehindu.co.in

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