Bharath Biotech to supply 2 lakh doses of typhoid vaccine to Pakistan

Indian vaccine manufacturer Bharath Biotech will ship two lakh doses of its typhoid vaccine to Pakistan, which is grappling with the outbreak of severe drug-resistant version of the disease.

Hyderabad-based company will be shipping the doses of Typbar TCV vaccine to the neighbouring country on Monday.

Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech on Friday said they received a request from Aga Khan University of Karachi to immediately despatch the vaccine to tackle the severe outbreak of drug resistant typhoid fever.

He said the company already donated to Pakistan 100,000 doses of Typbar TCV, which is the world's first Conjugate Typhoid Vaccine (TCV) clinically proven to be administered to children from 6 months of age to adults.

According to Pakistan media reports, Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR) typhoid has claimed over a dozen lives in Sindh province. It is spreading fast in the province, especially in Karachi.

Authorities in Sindh plan to include Typbar TCV in Extended Programme on Immunisation (EPI) after receiving the full consignment of the vaccine from Bharat Biotech later this year.

Typbar TCV is the only vaccine prequalified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to prevent XDR typhoid, a multi-drug resistant strain of typhoid fever that is resistant to 3rd generation Cephalosporin antibiotics.

Bharath Biotech exports its 16 vaccines to 140 countries. It despatched 3.8 billion doses during last 20 years.

Krishna Ella said the company so far received $136 million grant for clinical research from global health agencies including Bill and Melinda Gates and Welcome Trust.

--IANS

ms/prs