Injectible polio vaccine launched in India

The injectible vaccine that contains inactivated polio virus (IPV) will be rolled out in the coming weeks in Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh before it is expanded to other states, health minister J.P. Nadda said, announcing the launch. The vaccine has to be administered to children below one year beside 3rd dose of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) at regular immunization schedule without any extra charges.

While launching the new injectable polio vaccine, Nadda informed that in the first phase IPV will be introduced in high risk states, namely Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

“With the introduction of IPV in their immunisation schedule, India moves the world much closer to being polio-free”, said Olivier Charmeil, president and CEO of Sanofi Pasteur.

But the risk is still there with the virus being active in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Cases of polio still happen there.

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.

The study was conducted as per the directions given by World Health Assembly in May 2015.

When the world is polio-free, IPV will be the only vaccine used to make sure that the disease never comes back, according to a 2012 WHO policy. In the beginning, one dose of IPV will be administered along with the third dose of OPV and DPT to children who are 14-week-old”, said Dr SNS Yadav, chief medical officer, Lucknow adding, “Even after being immunised with IPV, it is essential all children are immunised with OPV every time it is offered.”IPV when used in combination with OPV can quickly boost immunity against poliovirus and offer double protection”. 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. “This will be the largest and fastest globally coordinated vaccine introduction project in history”, he said. IPV will roll out in 126 countries which are today only using OPV in their national programmes.

Sanofi Pasteur, as a leader in providing both OPV and IPV, has been a partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative for over 20 years.