Bharat Biotech's typhoid vaccine gets WHO pre-qualification

Hyderabad, Jan 3 (PTI) Bharat Biotech today said itsTypbar TCV or the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine against typhoidfever, has received pre-qualification from the World HealthOrganisation (WHO).This enables the procurement and supplies of thisvaccine to UNICEF, Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) andGAVI-supported countries, the Hyderabad-based company said ina statement.Typbar TCV has been evaluated in Human ChallengeStudies at Oxford University and typhoid conjugate vaccineshave been recommended by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group ofExperts on Immunisation (WHO-SAGE), it said."Typbar TCV is the first typhoid vaccine, clinicallyproven to be administered to children from six months of ageto adults and confers long term protection against typhoidfever," the company said.International Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)estimates that in 2016, there were approximately 12 millioncases of typhoid fever resulting in around 130,000 deaths.Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterium SalmonellaTyphi (S.Typhi), which infects humans due to contaminated foodand beverages from sewage and other infected humans.Typbar TCV is a result of dedicated productdevelopment at Bharat Biotech since 2001, where all aspects ofthe product profile were studied and evaluated in humanclinical trials, according to the company.With five years of follow up data for seroconversion,Typbar TCV at 25µg / dose has proven long term protection forchildren and adults alike, and can be administered to childrenfrom six months of age, the statement said.Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director ofBharat Biotech, said, "Typbar TCV is the first typhoidconjugate vaccine, clinically proven to be administered tochildren from six months of age to adults and confers longterm protection against typhoid fever.According to Oxford University professor AndrewPollard, "the WHO prequalification of Typbar TCV marks animportant milestone in the global effort to rid the world oftyphoid fever and improve health for some of the mostvulnerable populations in the world".With the aim to accelerate the introduction of newtyphoid conjugate vaccines as part of an integrated approachto reduce the burden of typhoid disease, Bharat Biotech haspartnered with the Typhoid Vaccine Acceleration Consortium(TyVAC), a union between the Center for Vaccine Development atthe University of Maryland, the Oxford Vaccine Group at OxfordUniversity, and PATH.The consortium is conducting effectiveness studies for typhoid conjugate vaccines in Nepal, Malawi, and Bangladesh. Bharat Biotech has donated 50,000 doses of Typbar TCV, towards the conduct of these studies, it was stated.

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