Govt hints nexus between private, state-owned vaccine units

Hinting that a nexus between private and state-owned vaccine companies could have led to gradual decline in production capacity of state-owned units, the government today said the matter required in depth probe.     

"Till recently the production of the three government units was 80 per cent and then it came down to just around 10 per cent. There is something wrong. I smell a nexus between these units and private sector," Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said in the Rajya Sabha.     

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, he pointed out that prices of vaccines produced in private units were shooting up.     

"I can't say it was done (decline in production in government units) to help private units. But it could be a possibility. This needs an in depth probe and an external agency needs to look into it," he said.     

He said manufacturing licenses of three state-owned vaccine institutes namely Central Research Institute (Kasauli), Pasteur Institute of India in Coonoor (Tamil Nadu), and BCG Vaccine Laboratory in Chennai were suspended in January 2008.     

This was done as the units were not found in compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as provided under Schedule M of Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945, he said.     

CRI (Kasauli) was established in 1905, PII (Coonoor) in 1907 and the Chennai unit in 1948. Azad said it was difficult to say why the upgradation process in these institutes did not start till now. "This is why, I think, their licenses were suspended. Any unit cannot continue for 100 years without undergoing any upgradation or renovation," he said.     

Azad assured the House that he has gone through the issue in detail and felt a full fledged probe should be conducted into the matter.     

"I will come before the House after conducting a comprehensive inquiry," he said.     

The minister's assurance was welcomed by all members including the Opposition benches.     

Azad accepted that due to suspension of licenses of the three units, there was shortage of vaccines affecting universal immunization programme.     

He said the government has decided to revive the three units.     

"The licenses of these units can be revived and production restarted after compliance with GMP requirements," he said.