06 May,2009 09:09 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Serum Institute becomes the first body across the world to be commissioned by the WHO to develop a vaccine against latest strain of H1N1 flu virus
Eight scientists of the Pune-based 42-year-old Serum Institute of India Ltd (SIIL) have been entrusted the all-important task of developing a vaccine against the new strain of the deadly H1N1 influenza virus, commonly known as swine flu.
The SIIL is the first body across the world commissioned by the WHO to develop the vaccine. While vaccines against the H1N1 exist, they are unlikely to be effective against the latest strain of the virus, which broke out last week and has already claimed 30 lives and infected at least 1,509 in 21 countries. As of now, there are drugs like Tamiflu to treat swine flu.u00a0
2 year-development
Dr Suresh Jadhav, the executive director of SIIL, said it could take two years before the new vaccine is developed, butu00a0 the WHO has shown keen interest in SIIL's attempts to undertake the mass production of the vaccine against H1N1.
SIIL, which has developed two other pandemic vaccines for influenza in the last two years, now awaits a formal nod from the WHO to start production.u00a0 SIIL Director Dr Jadhav was asked to produce the vaccine in a teleconference by Dr Margaret Chan, the director general, WHO, on April 30.
The H1N1 vaccine will be an injectable solution of half to one ml. In an exclusive interview with MiD DAY, Dr Jadhav said SIIL expects WHO to send the latest strains of H1N1 virus to them in the next two weeks. SIIL expects to test several batches of the vaccine on animals like mice and guinea pigs for the following three months.
"Matters are moving with some speed because there is a special effort to fasttrack the development from WHO as well as local regulatory authorities," Jadhav said.
SIIL expects a sample of the latest strain of the H1N1 virus from WHO in the next two weeks. "The initial research will take a minimum two to four months. It may even extend to 10 weeks. The vaccine will finally be tested on humans, before we produce it on a large scale," he said
