Hyderabad: Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), launched India’s first indigenously developed Hepatitis A vaccine, Havisure.
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver viral infection that poses a significant public health challenge primarily spreads through the fecal-oral route, meaning that it is transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water.
Priced at 2,150 per dose, it is a two-dose vaccine in which the first dose is administered at above 12 months of age and the second dose is given at least after 6 months of the first dose. The vaccine is also recommended for individuals who are at risk of exposure or travel to the regions with high hepatitis A prevalence. In addition to this people with occupational risk of infection and suffering from chronic liver diseases also need Hepatitis A vaccination.
IIL said the vaccine is effective in preventing the disease and is recommended for children in routine immunisation.
“The vaccine Havisure has undergone extensive clinical trials in 8 centers and has proven to be safe and efficacious,” said K Anand Kumar, managing director of IIL. “The vaccine is comparable to the world’s leading vaccine sold by a multinational,” Kumar added.
British drugmaker GSK sells Hepatitis-A vaccine in India under the brand name Havrix.
“The company has considerably invested in state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities to scale up production and meet the growing demand for Hepatitis A vaccine,” said Priyabrata Pattnaik, deputy MD of IIL.
“As part of the launch, IIL will be collaborating with healthcare professionals, corporate hospitals, and government agencies to promote awareness about Hepatitis A and the importance of both paediatric, adolescent and adult vaccination,” Pattnaik added.
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