Swine flu vaccine to be ready by beginning of April: Azad

Government today said an indigenous Indian vaccine for swine flu would be ready by beginning of April even as it demanded an inquiry into the "panic" created by international bodies on the scale of the epidemic.

The four pharmaceutical companies, given the task of manufacturing a vaccine for swine flu, have begun human trials and the country would have its own vaccine by beginning of April, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said.

Speaking at the Social Editor's conference here, he said, while Europe and the western world vaccinate its population against even the normal flu, India does not have any such vaccine.

"Thus we are developing a swine flu vaccine which will form the base for immunising against other influenzas like bird flu as well," he said. "The clinical trials have already started. By the end of March, the vaccines are expected to be ready," he said.

Director Health Research VM Katoch said while the Indian vaccine would be used for the masses, the government was also procuring some vaccine from international companies to immunise its health workers.

Meanwhile, minister of state for Health Dinesh Trivedi said there should be an inquiry into the unnecessary panic created by international organisations like the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The WHO had recently in a press conference in Geneva said that the seriousness of the swine flu had been overestimated.

Azad said the ministry has also created a roadmap for the revival of the three vaccine producing Public Sector Units of the country and has set up an expert committee, headed by former Health Secretary Javed Chowdhary in the matter.

"The committee is expected to submit its report within a week's time," he said. He added that the layout plan for the Kasauli vaccine institute has already been approved by the WHO.

The minister said the government was also cracking down on manufacturers of spurious drugs and had launched various schemes including setting up special courts to try such cases.

"We have also launched a special whistle blower scheme and have received 14 complaints over the last two months," he said.

French H1N1 vaccine in Feb, local version 2 months later
The H1N1 vaccine will finally arrive in India next month from French drug maker Sanofi Pasteur, but domestic pharmaceutical companies will begin selling the vaccine only in April.

Sanofi will supply 1.5 million doses of vaccine while 2.5 million doses will be supplied by the domestic manufacturers. The prices of the Sanofi vaccine could not be ascertained but domestic manufactures would be selling the vaccine at Rs80-100.

“Sanofi will start conducting the human trials from Wednesday. I expect them to complete all trials in the next three weeks. The vaccine would hit the Indian market by February 15-20,” Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) chief Surinder Singh told DNA.

The DCGI has also given approval to domestic drug makers Cadila Healthcare, Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute and Panacea Biotech.

“I believe the H1N1 vaccine developed by our domestic drug companies would be priced at one third of the prevailing international price… for around Rs80-100,” Singh said. These vaccines would be available from sometime in April.