Should have read: India Imports Chinese Vaccine. Sorry for the confusing title. [Edited by T42.]
I thought I read somewhere that the Chinese and Indians were using a vaccine against avian H5N1 also. I hope it wasn't developed and tested the same way as the JE vaccine.
India News
Posted on 24 Apr 2006
JE vaccine import raises controversy
New Delhi: The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has found that the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had permitted the import of the Chinese Encephalitis vaccine even without conducting phase-II clinical trials.
GEAC has said the Chinese vaccine "made from a live attenuated virus called SA-1414-2 could multiply in vector mosquitoes" and recombine with local viruses resulting in creation of "recombinant" viruses with unknown characteristics.
As such, the DCGI should have referred the matter to the GEAC in view of the associated environmental risks, GEAC said in a statement available on its website.
The GEAC, which comes under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, pointed out that the rules 1989 of the Environmental Protection Act cover not only recombinant product but also hazardous micro-organisms for which environmental clearance should first come from GEAC before import is authorized.
The Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus like the dengue virus belongs to the class of viruses known as "flavivirus," the committee observed.
Noting that "plenty of flavivirus activity" is prevalent in our country, the committee pointed out there is always the risk of the Chinese vaccine virus combining with wild-type flaviviruses in India "resulting in recombinants with novel properties." The committee has asked DCGI to "clarify" whether these environmental concerns "have been taken into consideration by the DCGI while according approval for import of the Chinese Encephalitis vaccine."
I thought I read somewhere that the Chinese and Indians were using a vaccine against avian H5N1 also. I hope it wasn't developed and tested the same way as the JE vaccine.
India News
Posted on 24 Apr 2006
JE vaccine import raises controversy
New Delhi: The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has found that the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had permitted the import of the Chinese Encephalitis vaccine even without conducting phase-II clinical trials.
GEAC has said the Chinese vaccine "made from a live attenuated virus called SA-1414-2 could multiply in vector mosquitoes" and recombine with local viruses resulting in creation of "recombinant" viruses with unknown characteristics.
As such, the DCGI should have referred the matter to the GEAC in view of the associated environmental risks, GEAC said in a statement available on its website.
The GEAC, which comes under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, pointed out that the rules 1989 of the Environmental Protection Act cover not only recombinant product but also hazardous micro-organisms for which environmental clearance should first come from GEAC before import is authorized.
The Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus like the dengue virus belongs to the class of viruses known as "flavivirus," the committee observed.
Noting that "plenty of flavivirus activity" is prevalent in our country, the committee pointed out there is always the risk of the Chinese vaccine virus combining with wild-type flaviviruses in India "resulting in recombinants with novel properties." The committee has asked DCGI to "clarify" whether these environmental concerns "have been taken into consideration by the DCGI while according approval for import of the Chinese Encephalitis vaccine."
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