Hyderabad: Bharat Biotech announced on Monday that the World Health Organization (WHO) has pre-qualified its rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac 5D.
The new variant of Rotavac is a unique rotavirus vaccine formula that can be administered without buffer. The low dose volume (0.5 ml) facilitates easy vaccine logistics, cold chain management and low biomedical waste processing after vaccination. It is used to prevent rotavirus infection, which is common in infants and young children.
The pre-qualification of the WHO enables the acquisition of Rotavac 5D by UN agencies, namely UNICEF and PAHO. This is a confirmation of the global quality and safety standards required for pediatric vaccines. The WHO’s pre-qualification of Rotavac 5D will quickly detect worldwide access to this life-saving vaccine, the company said in Hyderabad.
“Rotavac and Rotavac 5D are projects that have been devised, innovated and executed in India; in collaboration with Indian and global partners. It is the culmination of a 30-year effort to develop a new rotavirus vaccine, which has made great strides in the prevention of rotavirus diseases, and restores India’s leadership in the development and introduction of rotavirus vaccines for the world. Today’s announcement is an important step in further strengthening and fulfilling Bharat Biotech’s vision to address neglected diseases and prevent infections that are still affecting millions in the developing world, “said Suchitra Ella, General Manager of Bharat Biotech .
Bharat Biotech has developed the first generation, rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac under a public-private partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, and 16 other international partners, making it the largest social innovation project ever for public health.
In the developing world, Rotavac has played a key role in addressing rotavirus deaths, the leading cause of severe diarrhea among children under the age of five, leading to more than 200,000 deaths and 2 million hospitalizations worldwide. Vaccinations are an important part of the global efforts to achieve public health in order to achieve the sustainable development goals of UNDP.
Bharat Biotech has so far supplied more than 250 million doses of Rotavac.
Source: The Siasat Daily