The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : One vaccine to ward off 5 diseases

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Thursday, Jan 31, 2008
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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

One vaccine to ward off 5 diseases

Special Correspondent

Sanofi Pasteur launches its combination vaccine Pentaxim

CHENNAI: Parents in India will now be able to protect their children against five major diseases with one vaccination, but only if they can afford Rs. 8,000 needed to complete the four-dose schedule.

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine division of Sanofi Aventis, on Wednesday launched its combination vaccine Pentaxim, which protects children from tetanus, diphtheria, polio, whooping cough and haemophilus influenza infections such as meningitis and pneumonia. Pentaxim, which costs around Rs.2,000 for each dose, has to be injected three times within the child’s first four months and should be followed by a booster at 15 months.

“Prevention is always better than cure in child health care” said S. Balasubramanian, Senior Consultant Paediatrician, Kanchi Kamakodi Child Trust Hospital, who was present at the launch. “By reducing the number of required injections, Pentaxim encourages both public acceptance of vaccination and patient compliance with vaccination schedules.”

He also highlighted the advantages of the vaccine in the ongoing campaign to eradicate polio. The injection, he said, had advantages over oral polio drops because it reduced the risk of paralysis, could be used for immuno-deficient children among whom drops could not, was more temperature stable and so easier to transport, and was more convenient because one could be sure that it had reached the child’s system.

India, he clarified, would continue the pulse polio oral eradication programme as stipulated by the World Health Organisation because awareness was low and drops were better accepted by the community. Once polio was all but eradicated, India might join the developed nations in phasing out the drops by the injected vaccine.

But, he said, the cost was the biggest disadvantage. “With increased use, the cost will come down,” he said, “but today, the individual consumer, who wants this level of protection and can afford it, can take it.”

India joins 80 countries in the developed and developing world that have used this vaccination since 1997. The delay of over 10 years was owing to an import restriction on the (injectable) inactivated polio vaccine, which was lifted only two years ago.

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