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Fault vaccines to be replaced
KATHMANDU, APR 05 -
Nepal will replace faulty vaccines made by an Indian company with vaccines manufactured by Crucell Berna, a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, by April 12. Vaccines made by Shantha Biotech have been suspended in Nepal by the World Health Organization (WHO) because of manufacturing errors in the vaccines.
According to an official of the Ministry of Health, Nepal will get as many as 131,000 vials of Quinvaxem, a pentavalent vaccines that protect infants from
five diseases--Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus Influenza B.
“We will resume our vaccination drive after we get the vaccines,” Krishna Bahadur Chand, chief of the immunisation programme at Child Health Division under the Department of Health Services, said.
Nepal’s vaccination drive has been halted since March 24 after WHO recommended to DoHS that it should not use vaccines manufactured by Shantha Biotech following complaints from different countries about faults in the vaccines’ composition.
Chand also said that the National Committee for Immunisation Practices, a technical body that recommends the government on immunisation programmes, has already approved these new vaccines. Subsequently, the National Regulatory Authority, a government body that approves the procurement of new drugs, has also given a nod to this end.
The vaccines manufactured by Shanta Biotech were introduced in Nepal in April last year. In the first phase, the vaccines were brought in use in 25 Far- and Mid-West districts. The second phase of the vaccination drive started in December and included the other 50 districts.
“We have halted the immunisation drive that aimed at reducing infant mortality immediately after WHO made its recommendations, but we will continue as soon as the new vaccines enter the country,” said Dr. Praveen Misra, Secretary at the Ministry of Health.
Posted on: 2010-04-06 07:28
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