The first batch of H1N1 vaccine, indigenously developed in India, will hit the market tomorrow that may lead to less dependence on the imported vaccine against the disease which had killed over 1500 people in less than a year.
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will launch the vaccine after taking the first shot. The cost of the vaccine is expected to be Rs. 391 per dose in open market, a Health Ministry official said.
Four Indian companies-Cadila Healthcare of Ahmedabad, Serum Institute of India, Pune, and New Delhi-based Bharat Biotec and Panacea Biotec-were working to develop vaccine in the country.
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Cadila is the first company to hit the market with its product. The company has used the influenza strains as recommended by WHO to develop the vaccine.
The firm has successfully completed Phase two and three clinical trials conducted on 203 individuals in the age group of 18-60 years and 66 individuals of age more than 60 years, the official said.
Cadila can produce 6-7.5 million doses of the vaccine every year. About 4.5 lakh doses will be released tomorrow across the country.
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Another three million doses are under production and are expected to be released in the market after two months.
Earlier, the Health Ministry had allowed a French company Sanofi Pasteur to sell its product in India on March 12 this year. The authorisation was granted only after successful completion of bridging clinical trial study on 100 subjects at two centres.
Three other international companies GlaxoSmithKline Baxter and Novartis had also offered to sell their products in India but were not given permission because they did not agree to terms of agreement, the official said.
About 1.5 million doses of this vaccine were allowed to be imported in the country, to be used for immunisation of health workers, who come in direct contact with the patients.
Parallelly, efforts were on to develop an indigenous vaccine to meet the needs of Indian population at cheaper rates.