IMMUVAC; VPM1002

Aug. 1, 2019

On July 15, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) launched India’s first large-scale trial for two new tuberculosis (TB) vaccines.

About:

There are two vaccines being tested in the latest trial:
- Immuvac (also known as mycobacterium indicus pranii or MIP), which is manufactured by Cadila Pharmaceuticals in Ahmedabad, and
- VPM1002 manufactured by Serum Institute of India in Pune.
Need of new vaccines: The Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, is currently used in the routine Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI) across the world. However , the vaccine is over 100 years old and provides poor protection against pulmonary disease in adolescents and adults.
Way ahead: Depending on the results, the recommendations would be sent to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Both vaccines are being manufactured by Indian pharmaceutical companies. The price of the vaccines would be decided by the government.