Some of the prominent city paediatricians have taken serious objection to a major ad-campaign launched by GSK India for promoting its Hepatitis A paediatric vaccine through various vernacular TV channels.

Paediatricians have termed the GSK's marketing move as totally unethical as the product is an optional vaccine. The ad-campaign has overlooked many key factors pertaining to the need, efficacy and age specifications for administration of this vaccine.

Shocked over such a campaign on the TV channels targeting the urban and rural mothers, the doctors have blamed the company for exaggerating the need of Hepatitis A immunization in children and also for suppressing the fact that the vaccination does not make any difference in children below 2 years.

They pointed out that the immunization was not necessary for children who were exposed to the disease in the past. However, the company in the advertisement talks only about the school going children with no age specification. Moreover, the ad also creates panic among the mothers that if their children could be in risk if they are not immunized against Hepatitis A.

"In case of Hepatitis A vaccine, since it is an optional immunization product, the company should leave the matter to doctors and should not panic the people with wrong messages," said a leading paediatrician.

A senior child specialist in Mumbai said, "since television is so influencing on the general public, there are even cases that the parents disbelieve paediatrics when they are advised not to vaccinate their infants below two years against hepatitis A. Subsequently, they even go to some other doctor to get vaccinated."

"The company wanted to spread a wrong message among the society that hepatitis A vaccination is essential and mandatory through the advertisement and trying to push this costly vaccine," another well-known paediatrician in Mumbai opined.

It may be recalled that due to resistance from the drug experts and paediatric society of India, the government had earlier exempted Hepatitis A from the mandatory immunization programme.

GSK India launched their Hepatitis A paediatrics vaccine, Havrix Junior Monodose a couple of years ago in India. The company claims that the vaccine can be given between the ages of 1 year and 15 years. The vaccine, a dose of 0.5ml given by intramuscular route, costs £18.03 in Europe and Rs 712 in India.