Securing Supplies and Partnerships
The Indian government is taking proactive steps to ensure a secure supply of oral polio vaccines (OPV) and injectable inactivated poliomyelitis vaccines (IPV) for its Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). This program plays a crucial role in protecting children from life-threatening diseases, including polio.
The Union Health Secretary visited Bilthoven Biologicals, a subsidiary of the Serum Institute of India (SII), in the Netherlands. Bilthoven is a key manufacturer of OPV.
SII and Bharat Biotech have partnered to enhance OPV production. This collaboration will increase Bharat Biotech's annual OPV production capacity to 500 million doses.
This partnership will contribute to the sustained supply of OPV in India, ensuring the country's polio-free status.
Concerns arose about IPV supplies after Sanofi discontinued its IPV product, ShanIPV.
SII has assured the government that it can ramp up IPV production to meet India's full annual requirement within three to four months if needed.
SII is committed to prioritizing India's needs as the only domestic IPV supplier.
Sanofi has also offered its alternative IPV vaccine, IMOVAX-Polio, to ensure uninterrupted availability.
India was declared polio-free in March 2014 and continues to hold that status.
The UIP's high-quality national and sub-national polio rounds ensure continued vaccination of children.
The government's proactive approach and partnerships with vaccine manufacturers will help maintain India's polio-free status.
The Indian government is committed to ensuring a secure supply of polio vaccines for its UIP. The partnerships with SII and Bharat Biotech for OPV production and the availability of alternative IPV vaccines demonstrate the government's dedication to protecting children from this debilitating disease.