First Made-in-Vietnam Vaccine to be Exported

State-run Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No. 1 (Vabiotech) is now capable of producing Japanese encephalitis (JE) B vaccine and plans to export the vaccine to India soon, marking the first made-in-Vietnam vaccine to be sold abroad. The vaccine will be then exported to three or four more markets in 2015, Giao Thong Van Tai (Transport) online newspaper reported, citing the Ministry of Health. In 2013, Vabiotech acquired rights to Inviragen’s proprietary JE technology to produce a cell-derived vaccine. A cell-based JE vaccine has the potential to offer improved manufacturing consistency and safety due to the reduced contaminant, preservatives and unnecessary excipients present compared to the previous generation of animal-derived JE vaccines. The number of patients contracting viral encephalitis, including Japanese encephalitis B, has been rising sharply in Vietnam, with most of the cases reported in the northern region. In 2013, Japanese encephalitis cases accounted for 8% of total encephalitis patients in Vietnam. The ratio was as high as 30% in the first half of this year. Vaccination is the most effectively way to prevent the disease. (www.giaothongvantai.com.vn Aug 25)