The Government on Friday launched indigenous vaccine Jenvac — created by using Indian strain of virus — to treat the deadly Japanese Encephalitis (JE) disease but remained non-committal on introducing the vial in its National immunisation programme because of it being much costlier than the ones currently imported from China.
The new JE vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with National Institute of Virology, Pune under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is likely to cost around Rs 70 per dose in the public sector while in private sector it is expected to cost around Rs 300 per dose. In contrast, the imported Chinese ones cost just between Rs 20 and Rs 30.
launching the vaccine at an event here, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, however, said cost was not the biggest concern for the Government. He also refused to commit on the timeline by when the vaccine would be part of the National programme. Currently, India imports entire stock of its requirement from China.
“It is important that we become self-reliant as we can’t depend on import… But we are yet to decide when it would be included in the National programme. We have to work out the details with Bharat Biotech,” said the Minister.
Two dosages of the vaccine give immunity against JE — a mosquito-borne viral infection causing brain inflammation, seizures and paralysis — for about three years. It is expected that about one crore dosages of the vaccine would be required in India. Further, besides the more certain and immediate availability, the efficacy of the vaccine is also likely to be higher, said Dr Krishna M Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech as he claimed that Jenvac is superior than the Chinese one in many ways.
The virus strain for this vaccine was isolated in Kolar, Karnataka during the early 1980s; characterised by the NIV and the strains were transferred to Bharat Biotech for further vaccine development. “The vaccine, besides protecting against the Indian strains of JE, is also effective against the other circulating strains,” said Dr Ella.
Over the last three years, the deadly disease has claimed more than 3,000 lives and maimed many in Eastern and Northern India, including Assam, Bengal, Bihar and UP. Children are the worst-affected due to the disease.