Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech on Monday announced that the World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded prequalification to its rotavirus vaccine named Rotavac 5D. The new variant of Rotavac, Rotavac 5D, is a unique rotavirus vaccine formulation that can be administered without a buffer.
In an official statement, the company explained that its low dose volume (0.5 mL) facilitates easy vaccine logistics, cold chain management and low biomedical waste disposal post-vaccination. Moreover, it is used for the prevention of rotavirus infection, which is prevalent in infants and young children.
“The WHO prequalification enables the procurement of Rotavac 5D by UN agencies namely UNICEF and PAHO. It is a validation of the global quality and safety standards required for pediatric vaccines. The WHO prequalification of Rotavac 5D will fast-track global access to this life saving vaccine,” the statement reads.
Speaking on the same, Bharat Biotech’s Joint Managing Director Suchitra Ella said, “Rotavac and Rotavac 5D are projects conceived, innovated, and executed in India; in collaboration with Indian and Global partners. This is the culmination of a 30 year effort to develop a novel rotavirus vaccine, resulting in a major advancement in Rotavirus disease prevention and reasserts India’s leadership in developing and introducing rotavirus vaccines for the world. Today’s announcement is an important step to further strengthen and fulfill Bharat Biotech’s vision to address neglected diseases and prevent infections that continue to affect millions in the developing world.”
Bharat Biotech developed the first generation, rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac under a public-private partnership with India’s Department of Biotechnology and 16 other international partners, making it the largest ever social innovation project for public health.
In the developing world, Rotavac has been instrumental in addressing deaths due to rotavirus infection. Bharat Biotech has so far supplied more than 250 million doses of ROTAVAC, it said.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Union Budget 2022 updates here.
Comments
0 comment