There was panic after traces of a long eradicated polio virus strain were detected in polio vaccines that
In an attempt to understand what went wrong with the polio vaccine batches that were found to have traces of a long eradicated polio virus strain, India drug inspectors are now headed to Indonesia.
The key starting material of the vaccines that were found to be contaminated, came from a company in Indonesia. A check of PT Bio Farma was scheduled, say sources in the office of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), but in the light of the contamination, it has now been advanced.
Panic followed after type 2 polio vaccine virus was found in some sewage and stool samples. Seven years have elapsed since the last wild poliovirus case in the country was reported and the Type 2 virus was eradicated in 1999.
DCGI sources say four officials will be travelling to Indonesia as soon as the proposal is cleared by the ministry of health
The detection therefore meant that a type 2 poliovirus containing vaccine, despite the fact that oral vaccine that contained type 2 poliovirus vaccine had been phased out globally, and in India, in April 2016, as a part of the Polio End Game strategy.
Investigations revealed that a few vials of vaccine supplied by one manufacturer, had traces of P2 vaccine. The use of all the vaccine supplied by the concerned manufacturer was immediately stopped. Additional samples were sent for testing to the Central Drug Laboratory in Kasauli, which confirmed the previous report of presence of traces of P2 polio vaccine virus. An FIR was filed and there have been several arrests.
DCGI sources say four officials will be travelling to Indonesia as soon as the proposal is cleared by the ministry of health.
There are four major manufacturers of the bivalent vaccine in India. These are Bio-Med (currently under the scanner), Bharat Biotech International, Panacea Biotec, the government-owned Bharat Immunological and Biologicals Corp. Ltd (Bibcol) and Mumbai-based Haffkine Bio Pharmaceutical Corp. Ltd.
