Even as the Union health ministry continues to buy BCG vaccine for treating tuberculosis after suspending the licences of the three public sector vaccine manufacturing units, huge quantities of BCG vaccines went unutilised and gone as waste.


At the time of suspension of manufacturing licenses on 15.1.2008, there were 285 lakh doses of BCG vaccine available with BCG Lab, Chennai. As per Indian Pharmacopoeia, the shelf life of BCG vaccine is two years from date of manufacturing. All the batches were manufactured between August, 2006 and December, 2007, according to the information with the health ministry.


“As the shelf life of these doses of BCG vaccines had expired before revocation of suspension of licenses of the Institute, they could not be used. The total cost of wasted doses was around Rs. 3.70 crore,” sources said.


Meanwhile, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad disclosed in the Parliament that the vaccines were purchased at higher rates from the private firms after the closure of the PSU. The BCG vaccine used to cost the ministry Rs. 13 per vial in 2007-08 from the BCG Lab. The same was purchased from the private sector at Rs. 27.85 per vial in 2009-10 (Rs. 14.85 more) and Rs. 28.6 in 2010-11 (Rs. 15.60 more), the minister said.


Likewise, in the case of vaccine against Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus (DPT), which was manufactured by Pasteur Institute of India, Coonoor, the government had to spend more on private firms. Against Rs. 11.80 per vial in 2007-08, the government spent Rs. 23.49 per vial in 2008-09. The TT vaccine that protects against tetanus and neonatal tetanus cost the government Rs. 6.20 a vial in 2007-08. Now, the health ministry is procuring it from the private sector for Rs. 17.69 per vial (Rs. 11.49 more) in 2009-10 and Rs. 16.45 (Rs. 10.25 more) in 2010-11, according to the information given by the Minister.