H1N1 nasal vaccine popular with patients

Last week, paediatrician Dr Sanjeev Parikh took the swine flu nasal spray vaccine Nasovac himself as a precautionary measure.

Last week, paediatrician Dr Sanjeev Parikh took the swine flu nasal spray vaccine Nasovac himself as a precautionary measure.

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"The only side effect that I observed was a stuffy nose for a few hours after taking the vaccine," said Parikh, a Chembur-based paediatrician. "I administered the spray to those who request it as well as prescribed it to young and elderly patients who fall in the high-risk group for swine flu."

Since its launch in the city on July 14, 2,000 vials of Nasovac, India's first nasal vaccine against swine flu, have been sold, said Dilip Mehta, president of the Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association.

Each vial contains five doses of the vaccine, which means 10,000 doses have been sold since the vaccine, developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India, hit the shelves. In comparison, only 3,400 doses of the injectible vaccine, which the government is offering to public hospital staff, have been used.

"The response to the nasal spray vaccine has been good, especially since it's being sold with only three chemists in the city," said Mehta. "The vaccine has a short shelf life of nine months, which is why not many chemists are stocking it," added Mehta.