Capping a five-year-long public-private partnership drug discovery programme, Bharat Biotech today launched fully indigenous inactivated Japanese Encephalitis vaccine –Jenvac, that will possibly end India’s dependence on China for its 10-million dose national JE control programme.

Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad formally launched the vaccine, jointly developed by National Institute of Virology, Pune, Indian Council of Medical Research and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Ltd

Azad said that Jenvac is a completely indigenous vaccine and an outstanding example of public private partnership (PPP), and a remarkable milestone in the emergence of our country as an innovative and self-sufficient technology hub. He congratulated all those involved in this project of national importance.

Speaking at the occasion, the Health Minister termed the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) as a serious public health challenge for India. Of the more than 100 viruses and other agents that can cause this syndrome, about a dozen odd are reported from India. Beginning with first report in 1955 from Vellore in Tamil Nadu JE virus has spread to over 171 districts in 19 states. The Health Minister stated that so far a vaccine imported from China was being used. But its availability was an issue for comprehensive and quick augmentation of the national programme, he stated.

The health minister said that the public health need for this vaccine is immense since the birth cohort in the affected 171 districts is about 40 lakh annually, which means that the country would eventually need about 1 crore doses of the vaccine for comprehensive coverage.

Azad mentioned that on acceptance of the recommendations of the GoM for a comprehensive multi-pronged strategy for the prevention and control of Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, the Union Cabinet gave its approval for a new “National Programme for Prevention and Control of JE/AES” with a more than Rs. 4,000 crore outlay. This programme is now being implemented in 60 priority districts for a period of five years from 2012-13 to 2016-17 by the concerned Ministries. Interventions are being focused on five states namely, Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

The main work to develop this vaccine began in 2008 with the signing of the agreement between NIV Pune and Bharat Biotech and after consistent hard work of more than five years, during which the scientists went through all the phases of development and clinical trials, the finished vaccine product was finally approved by the DCGI in September, 2013.

The JE vaccine candidate strain (821564 XZ), used for making this vaccine was isolated from the blood sample collected from an encephalitic patient admitted to Government Hospital in Kolar district, Karnataka between Nov-Dec, 1981.

Present on the occasion were Dr V M Katoch, Secretary, Department of Health Research and DG, ICMR, Nilanjan Sanyal, Secretary, Ayush, Dr Jagdish Prasad, DGHS, Dr Krishna Ella, managing director and CEO, Bharat Biotech and scientists from NIV Pune and Gorakhpur.