The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) said a new oral cholera vaccine it developed has been licensed in India, “paving the way for the worldwide use of a low-cost cholera vaccine that is suitable for use in developing countries, where most cholera cases occur.” Dr. John Clemens, Director-General of the IVI, said,”The licensure of the vaccine in India, where national regulatory authority is approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), paves the way for a wider use of the vaccine in cholera-endemic populations in Asia and elsewhere. We are delighted that the vaccine will be produced by Shantha Biotechnics, in Hyderabad, a company with a strong record of supplying high-quality vaccines to United Nations agencies, such as UNICEF.”
IVI said cholera remains an important public health problem in the developing world. In 2007, 177,963 cholera cases and 4,031 deaths were reported to WHO from 53 countries, with 94 percent of cases reported from Africa. The true figures are likely to be much higher, due to under-reporting, and as many as 120,000 deaths are estimated to occur each year from the disease. A recent outbreak in Zimbabwe has infected nearly 80,000 people, killing at least 4,000 since last August.
IVI noted that “despite recommendations from WHO for the use of new-generation oral cholera vaccines in 2001, no country has yet introduced cholera vaccines into its immunization program, with the exception of Vietnam, which has been using a locally produced oral cholera vaccine since 1997 following technology transfer from Swedish scientists. There is only one internationally licensed oral cholera vaccine that is currently available. But this vaccine, Dukoral produced by Crucell/SBL Vaccines, is too expensive ($30 in Scandinavia, $18 in Bangladesh) for developing country populations who need the vaccine most, and has been used mainly by travelers from developed countries.”
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