Sanofi new polio vaccine gets nod in India
New Delhi: Drug giant Sanofi has received a nod for an alternative injectable vaccine, IMOVAX-Polio, to replace the widely used Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) ShanIP in the India.
IMOVAX-Polio shares the same composition and formulation as ShanIPV. It has been employed in over 100 countries for more than 40 years.
"We wish to assure all stakeholders that there will be no shortage of IPV vaccines in India on our account, towards safeguarding the nation's status of remaining polio-free. We remain fully committed to fulfilling our public health mission in India," a Sanofi India spokesperson told PTI.
To ensure the adequate availability of the IPV vaccines, the Company has already received approvals for IMOVAX-Polio.
"...Sanofi has had to adapt its strategy and portfolio to these (emerging) trends. Accordingly, Sanofi Healthcare India Pvt Ltd (SHIPL) announced that by the end of 2023, it will discontinue ShanIPV, which was only filled and packaged at our factory in Hyderabad, India," the spokesperson added.
ShanIPV, a trivalent inactivated injectable vaccine was launched in 2015 in India. It was administered in two stages- at six weeks and 14 weeks of age under the government's immunization programme.
Sanofi, along with Serum Institute of India, has been at the forefront of supplying IPV vaccines in the country.
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