India’s vaccination strategy needs a course correction

Synopsis: India’s vaccination strategy lacks a few important steps and needs immediate action.

Introduction: Recently the Drug Controller General of India formally approved another vaccine candidate(Sputnik V). This vaccine is approved under emergency use authorisation.

India’s vaccination strategy:

1. So far, India’s vaccination strategy relied almost entirely on Covishield. The other vaccine Covaxin so far has only limited extent in India’s vaccine strategy.
2. India also allowed using foreign-made vaccines in India. But, these vaccines have to be approved by their respective regulatory agencies. Such as the U.S., the U.K., Europe, Japan.
3. Similarly, there is World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of approved emergency use vaccines. Indians can also use those vaccines.

Concerns with India’s vaccination strategy:

1. Vaccine approved in a different country may have adverse effects on the Indian population.
2. The WHO vaccines can avoid local clinical trials. But, they are subject to parallel bridging trials. For example, Pfizer approached Indian regulators for such bridging trails.
3. India due to emergency use authorization rushed through its regulatory process. This is evident as India had enough time and opportunity to conduct clinical trials in the right way for Vaccines such as Covishield and Covaxin. But India approved these vaccines under Emergency use.
4. Not clear planning on vaccine stocks. Countries like the U.K. and the U.S. planned enough vaccine dosage for their country in attaining self-sufficiency. For example, in the US at least 30% of its adults have got one dose of vaccination. But India did not have any such plan. So, without that, ‘atmanirbhar’ in the vaccine is not feasible.

Suggestions to improve India’s Vaccine strategy:

India’s pharmacovigilance programme has to step up to solve the challenges in India’s vaccine strategy.

1. India must not repeat the same mistake. India has to understand that the available choice of vaccine does not translate into immediate availability.
2. All the Indian vaccine companies had a tie-up with their foreign counterparts. So, even though they make millions of vaccines in India, they will sell them to the highest global bidders(Profit-motive).  So India has to ensure vaccine availability to at least for its adult population.
3. India has to study the past. Last year, the Indian health system faced a shortage of hospital beds, ventilators, and black marketing of drugs. With the cases increasing once again, India has to improve the situation prior to the worrying state.

Source: The Hindu