NIH restarts rabies vaccine production after long break

ISLAMABAD: The National Institute of Health (NIH) has started the production of Cell Culture Rabies Vaccine (CCRV) after taking an almost year long break due to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan’s (DRAP) complicated registration process, according to the institutes spokesperson.

The production of anti-rabies vaccine would be available in the public-sector health services department by February 2019 as the vaccine is presently at the completion stage of a quality control analysis and lot release process.

A senior health department official told Pakistan Today that there was a severe shortage of anti-rabies vaccine in the public sector health institutions in Pakistan due to which the institute had to start the production as victims of rabies infected dog bites were facing serious problems.

NIH Executive Director (ED) Professor Brig Aamer Ikram emphasised that the institute is presently producing CCRV and anti-rabies serum. Both these products are supplied on demand to all provinces as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the armed forces, and private sector companies.

He said that NIH also provides a diagnostic facility for Rabies Antibodies Titre (RAT) after the vaccination is administered to a victim.

Besides vaccine production, NIH is also providing awareness for the public and healthcare professionals regarding prevention, control and treatment of rabies across Pakistan.

The NIH has assured the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination (NHSR&C) that it shall utilise all resources to meet the country’s need of vaccines and anti-sera productions, and that the vaccine would be available at the promised date.

Further, the institute has also started production of a number of vaccines, including those for measles, tetanus and diphtheria.

Talking to Pakistan Today, the NIH spokesperson the institute did not stop the vaccine’s production, explaining that the company providing the materials needed for the product’s manufacturing had refused further supply.

She said that as per the procedure, the NIH had to issue a tender to sign an agreement with a new company and the new company’s registration process with DRAP had taken a long time.

To a question, she replied that the NIH would produce the vaccination as per the demands of the public sector hospitals.