Coming soon: A seasonal flu fighting vaccine in India

Drug firm Zydus Cadila on Friday said it has received regulatory approvals to launch tetravalent inactivated influenza vaccine for seasonal flu in India.

The company has received approvals from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and Central Drug Laboratory (CDL) to market the tetravalent inactivated influenza vaccine Vaxiflu 4 for seasonal flu, Cadila Healthcare said in a filing to BSE.

"The vaccine provides protection from four influenza viruses -- H1N1, H3N2, Type B (Brisbane) and Type B (Phuket)," it added.

Zydus Cadila Chairman and MD Pankaj R Patel said: "With the launch of vaccines like Vaxiflu 4, we are serving the cause of public health and meeting the twin challenge of affordability and accessibility."

Disease prevention is key to public health in both developing and the developed world and vaccines have the potential to improve the quality of life in both spectrums, he added.

Vaxiflu-4 will be marketed by Zydus Vaxxicare, the firm said, adding that the vaccine has been developed at its vaccine technology centre in Ahmedabad.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) is the central drug authority for discharging functions assigned to the Central government under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Its mandate is to safeguard and enhance public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and quality of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices.