Diarrhoea: First made-in-India rotavirus vaccine to cost Rs. 54.

In an important breakthrough, Indian scientists have successfully developed a low cost vaccine that has proved to be effective in preventing the deadly diarrhoea killing rotavirus which is responsible for the deaths of over 1.6 lakhs children under the age of 5 in the country annually. Vaccine produced by Bharat Biotech is likely to be launched in 2014 in the market for Rs. 54 per dose which is much cheaper than other rotavirus vaccines. 2. Scientists involved with the project said that the preventive vaccine has cleared all

clinical trials and it will be available for sale in the market by next year, subject to clearance from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). 3. The cost of the new vaccine, Rotavac, is likely to be around Rs 54 per dose which is

1/40th of the imported vaccines available in the market at present, said Dr M K Bhan, former secretary, department of biotechnology (DBT) who isolated the rotavirus strain in 1985 while pursuing research at AIIMS. "Rotavac vaccine is similar to the oral polio drop. It will be given under the same regimen - 6, 10 and 14 weeks. Our trials have shown an efficacy of 56% in severe diarrhoea and 61% in very severe diarrhoea cases. There is no side-effect or safety issue," Bhan added. The results indicate that the vaccine, if licensed, could save the lives of thousands of children each year in India, K Vijay Raghavan, secretary, department of biotechnology, said. 4. "Since traditional measures like sanitation, safe water supply, and hygiene have little

influence on its prevention, breastfeeding provides protection only for a limited period during infancy and oral rehydration therapy is difficult in view of associated vomiting; an effective vaccine is the logical choice for prevention," Dr Davendra K Taneja, a public health expert said. (Agencies)