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Pneumococcal disease is a common disease that affects young children but can also have detrimental effects on older adults. It is an infection caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pnuemoniae or pneumococcus. People infected with it carry it in their throat, and may not show symptoms. Those carriers may spread it by coughing or sneezing.
The pneumococcal disease accounts for an estimated 71 per cent of pneumonia deaths and 57 per cent of severe pneumonia cases. Every year nearly 67,800 children under 5 years of age die in India from pneumococcal diseases. Recognising its widespread fatality, WHO recommends the inclusion of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) in routine childhood immunisation programs in all countries. Following this, Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccines (PCV) work directly to reduce the incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia by preventing Streptococcus pneumonia.
According to the Centers of the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for all children younger than 2 years old and all adults 65 years or older. According to recent reports, India has launched its first fully indigenous pneumococcal vaccine.
Pune-based Serum Institute of India in collaboration with PATH and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced the launch of pneumococcal vaccine, Pneumosil on Monday.
This significant milestone is aimed at improving pneumococcal conjugate vaccine affordability and enabling sustainable access for low-and middle-income countries.
The vaccine aims at providing effective and long-lasting protection for children against pneumococcal diseases. This makes the Serum Institute he world's third supplier of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) under the pneumococcal Advance Market Commitment (AMC), and the first developing country vaccine manufacturer to access the global PCV market.
Harsh Vardhan, the Union Health Minister, said, "It is a significant milestone for the country's public health care which will ensure that children are protected better against pneumococcal disease with an affordable and high-quality vaccine."
About the launch of Pneumosil, Serum Institute's CEO Adar Poonawalla said: "Over the years, our constant endeavour has been to provide high-quality vaccines with regular supplies which ensures excellent immunisation coverage to children and families worldwide. With that thought, we have developed this PCV with a unique composition based on the serotype prevalence in India."
"This makes our PCV an ideal choice for protecting our children from pneumococcal disease. While the vaccine itself is of the highest quality and grade available, vaccine accessibility is of utmost importance as well, and to ensure ease of access by making it available at an affordable price. With the best PCV, we hope to bring down the mortality rate significantly while also making our country self-sufficient with a robust public health care system," he added.
Serum Institute is also the pharma company that is testing and producing the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine candidate in India. The vaccine is the frontrunner in the race to find the silver bullet.