IPV, the injectable form of polio vaccine, is produced by Shantha Biotechnics and Sanofi Pasteur in Hyderabad, India, and these two companies will distribute the new vaccine’s doses throughout the country. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends administering use 1 dose of IPV (Inactivated Polio Vaccine) after 3 doses of OPV (Oral Polio Vaccination), however it recommends routine IPV only in countries which have a high immunization coverage and low risk of wild poliovirus importation and spread. This new polio vaccine is manufactured by Shantha Biotechnics in Hyderabad.
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“With the introduction of IPV in their immunization schedule, India moves the world much closer to being polio-free”, Sanofi Pasteur President and CEO Olivier Charmeil said. “We have worked as partners of the government of India for many years, with this day in mind”.
“The virus is still active in our neighboring countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan”.
India witnessed 41 cases of vaccine-derived polio virus (VDPV) in the last six years including two in 2014 besides close to 150 vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP) infections so far. “Ours will be the last generation to see the horror of children paralysed or killed by polio”.
India will require almost 80 million doses of IPV to ensure that all 27 million children born each year receive three doses of IPV as prescribed. “New evidence clearly shows that IPV and OPV together strengthen the (infant’s) immune system and provide double protection against polio”, Nadda said.
The study was conducted as per the directions given by World Health Assembly in May 2015. Although OPV is safe it is not advisable to be used after achieving a polio-free status: when polio no longer exists in the wild, live virus can not still exist in a vaccine. “Under the IAP guidelines, we use three doses of IPV along with OPV”. “This will be the largest and fastest globally coordinated vaccine introduction project in history”, he said. The mechanism allows Gavi to make IPV available for inclusion in the routine immunisation schedules in 73 of the world’s poorest countries.
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“At this momentous milestone, India remains committed to global polio eradication”.
