Vaccines have eradicated polio and small pox and are very cost effective. They have both preventive and therapeutic value. These were the thoughts shared at the 8th Global Summit on Vaccines, Therapeutics and Healthcare organised by OMICS International.

If you want to eradicate a disease, you can not do that with drugs alone. You need vaccines, said Padma Bhushan G P Talwar of Talwar Research Foundation while delivering key note address at the 8th Global Summit on Vaccines, Therapeutics and Healthcare.

He further said that leprosy infects only 1 per cent of humans, 99 per cent are immune to contracting the disease. The National Leprosy Programe is based on diagnosing and treating the patients with multi-drugs regimen. Prevalence of the disease has become down significantly over the years, but has now plateaued to a stable level for several years. Meanwhile, the incidence of new cases was higher each year than the prevalent figures.

"In some endemic districts, these have reached alarming figures. Drugs do not correct the immunological deficit. We developed an immunotherapeutic vaccine. After phase-wise clinically and field trials, it was approved by the Drug Controller General of India and also by US FDA. It has been passed on to a company and is available for public use. Vaccines have eradicated polio, small pox and are cost effective. They have preventive and therapeutic value," he emphasized.

Speaking further he said a birth control vaccine is around the corner. It is an unusual vaccine, probably a first of its kind in the world. It can prevent unwanted pregnancy. It doesn’t harm women. The present birth control contraceptives that are available for women in the market have some or the other side effects. This vaccine will not have side effects. Before it becomes commercially available, it is will be a long road, before it completes all trials and clearances and available commercially. We may licence this vaccine to a local Hyderabad company, he said.  

A number of birth control vaccines are at different stages of development, the most advanced being a vaccine inducing antibodies against human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). This vaccine consists of a heterospecies dimer (HSD, beta hCG associated with alpha-subunit of ovine luteinizing hormone, beta hCG:alpha oLH) linked to tetanus toxoid (TT) or diphtheria toxoid (DT) as carriers. The vaccine has recently passed an important milestone; it has completed the first leg of phase II efficacy trials, he informed.  

Prof. Kakarla Subba Rao, former director of NIMS while delivering the key note address at the summit on cancer therapy said, "India is catching up with the rest of the world in the incidence of cancer from head to toe. Carcinoma of the cervix and breast top the list of cancers. Cancer can be cured if detected early by laboratory, imaging and biopsy methods."

The event will conclude onNovember 4, 2015. Around 200 delegates from all over the world are participating in these two conferences. OMICS International is India’s major publishing house of 350 scientific open source scientific journals.