Pharma cos not in a hurry to tap swine-flu vaccine market

MUMBAI: The Indian vaccine industry has adopted a wait-and-watch policy in tapping the potential market for swine flu vaccines. This is despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) stating in clear terms that it will take 4-5 years for enough vaccines to be produced for global consumption. India currently does not have any vaccine maker involved in production of the flu vaccine.

Adar Poonawalla, executive director (operations) at Serum Institute, told ET: ���Such viruses come and go. So far, there has not been an attack in India and I think we have more immunity than other countries. If this pandemic spreads and becomes serious, we will look at manufacturing swine flu vaccines, but we have no such plans at the moment.���

Every year, WHO announces what strain of the flu is prevalent that year and supplies it to companies, who manufacture the vaccine. This year, due to the widespread attack of the swine flu, the strain that is being supplied to companies is H1N1.

A senior official at Hyderabad-based Shanta Biotech said that while this could be a huge market, unless the health ministry and the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) issued a notice to all companies, it would be unlikely that Indian companies would manufacture the vaccine. ���Every year the strain changes. This year, it is the H1N1 strain.
Unless we get a notice from the government, we will not be looking at getting into this segment, as it will require lots of investment and setting up of a new manufacturing facility,��� the official said on conditions of anonymity.

The WHO on Wednesday raised its pandemic alert for swine flu to the second highest level, indicating that it believes a global outbreak of the disease is imminent. It was the first time WHO had declared a phase 5 outbreak. A phase 5 alert means there is sustained transmission among people in at least two countries. Once the virus shows effective transmission in two different regions of the world, a full pandemic outbreak ��� phase 6 ��� would be declared, meaning a global epidemic of a new and deadly disease.

Taking this into consideration, not all companies are waiting for the virus to hit India before taking action. A senior official from another vaccine firm said that his company was in the process of evaluating the technologies, which could allow it to produce these vaccines on a large scale. ���Once the technology is in place, we can produce millions of doses in a matter of months. We are focusing on recombinant technology rather than the traditional method of injecting an egg. All this is dependant on whether or not it becomes a pandemic, but we are getting prepared,��� he said.

Companies say that though global demand in such a situation will be high, governments might mandate companies to produce to first meet local demand. ���It might become difficult in such a situation for us to import vaccine, as every country will want companies to ensure that their population is taken care of. In India, if the government asks companies to manufacture the vaccine and gives them fast-track approval, it could be to meet national demands first,��� Joseph Chettiar, GM (sales and marketing) at Biological E, said.

WHO director general Margaret Chan on Wednesday asked countries world-over to take this issue seriously. ���All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans. It really is all of humanity that is under threat in a pandemic,��� she said.