Indian Immunologicals, ICMR to develop Zika Vaccine

Hyderabad: Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have signed a Memorandum of Association (MoA) to advance the clinical development of a Zika vaccine.

Under the MoA, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will cover the expenses for the Phase I clinical trials, which include the costs associated with conducting, investigating, and monitoring the trial. The trial will be conducted at the ICMR network sites in India.

According to an ANI report, speaking on the occasion, Dr K Anand Kumar, Managing Director, Indian Immunologicals Limited, said, "It is a great moment for IIL to collaborate with ICMR to develop Zika vaccine. IIL has been the single largest contributor to India achieving self-sufficiency in the field of vaccines."

ICMR DG Dr Rajiv Bahl called it a significant step towards achieving Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat.

"ICMR's Phase I trial network, launched last year, facilitates first-in-human safety studies for innovative and affordable Frontier MedTech, including small molecules, biologics, and vaccines. With four Phase-I sites--ACTREC Mumbai, KEM Hospital Mumbai, SRM Chennai, and PGIMER Chandigarh--fully operational, Indian innovators no longer need to go abroad for Phase-I trials," Dr Bahl said, news agency ANI reported.

Dr Priyabrata Pattnaik, Deputy Managing Director, Indian Immunologicals Limited, said, "We have been at the forefront of developing vaccines for emerging viral diseases. Currently, we are working on developing vaccines for several neglected emerging diseases. Zika, Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), Chikungunya, and the SARS-CoV-2 intra-nasal booster vaccine are to name a few."

IIL partnered with Griffith University, Australia, to develop the codon de-optimized live-attenuated Zika vaccine that has completed extensive pre-clinical evaluations and received permission from Indian regulatory authority to produce GMP-grade materials for clinical developmental work.

Zika disease, a viral infection, is mostly a mosquito-borne disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. It can also be transmitted to foetus during pregnancy, through sexual contact, blood transfusion and organ transplantation. The disease is usually mild and requires no specific treatment. However, it is more serious when infection occurs during pregnancy which may cause microcephaly and other congenital malformations in the infant, preterm birth and miscarriage. Few cases may also develop Guillain-Barre syndrome which is a neurological disorder.

India has reported 537 Zika cases as of July 22, 2024, according to the Ministry of Health. Currently, there is no vaccine available for its prevention.