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After PIL and SC nudge, government revives labs producing vaccines
NEW DELHI: It took a public interest petition and the Supreme Court’s nudge for the Centre to revive and upgrade its three-century-old state-run laboratories producing
NEW DELHI: It took a public interest petition and the Supreme Court’s nudge for the Centre to revive and upgrade its three-century-old state-run laboratories producing vaccines used for the government’s universal immunization programme.
The government had shut down the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli, BCG Vaccine Laboratory (BCGVL) in Guindy and Pasteur Institute of India (PII) in Coonoor in 2008 after they were found to be non-compliant with statutory norms.
Former Union health secretary SP Shukla had rushed to the top court in 2009 alleging the public sector undertakings (PSUs) were closed to benefit private manufacturers from whom the government would have purchased the vaccines.
After the closure, he said, wives of the directors at PSUs started their own private companies for manufacturing the vaccines. But constant monitoring by the SC has finally revived these units with “state-of the art” facilities.
In its latest affidavit submitted before the top court, the health ministry said it has spent over Rs 279 crore for upgrading the laboratories, leading to enhancement of their production capacity. The health ministry affidavit comes five months after a rebuke by chief justice TS Thakur’s bench on March 14.
“Why don’t you make your own units functional, instead of procuring from the market?” the CJI had asked. The bench wanted the government to replace the old technology with new one to improve production and quality of the vaccines.
CRI and BCGVL produce Bacillus Calmette (BCG) vaccine whereas CRI Kasauli produces DPT group of vaccines. BCGVL also manufactures BCG therapeutic for use in chemotherapy. PII produces an anti-rabies vaccine.
CRI, Kasauli now has a production facility of 100 million doses, 25 million more than the previous capacity. Over ` 49 crore has been invested in the unit. The enhanced production in these units started last year.
BCG vaccine laboratory acquired the new facility in June this year. The “state of the art” equipment cost the government ` 63.13 crore. It has nominated HLL Life Care – a PSU – as the project management consultant to the unit.
The annual capacity will be 80 million doses. The project is complete and trial production for the new facility is being initiated, the government told the SC.
PII, Coonoor was undergoing renovation, the ministry said. The construction work will be complete in December this year and the facility validation in March 2017, read the ministry affidavit.
