Cadila Pharmaceuticals Launches Novel Rabies Vaccine

New three-dose regimen vaccine, to be administered over a span of a week is the first in the long list of existing rabies vaccines that require five doses.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals launched a new three-dose recombinant nanoparticle-based rabies G protein vaccine in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

It has to be administered on day 0, day 3, and day 7 after exposure to the virus and is the first among the many vaccines that are available in the market and it does not require five doses on rabies vaccination that has been in prevalence.

‘Post-market surveillance is needed to explore the success of the new rabies vaccine in the pediatric population and studies should be conducted on pregnant women and immunosuppressed persons.’
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The vaccine is expected to cost a patient Rs. 2,145 and is expected to be launched in the private market across 11 states, including Gujarat.

Dr. Manjul Joshipura, senior vice-president of Innovations and New Products at Cadila Pharma, said that the vaccine has been in development since 2010.

After introducing it in the private sector, the company may consider approaching the government as well to add it to the basket of rabies vaccine at government facilities, but subject to pricing negotiations with the government, he added.

The result of the phase-3 clinical trial of the vaccine involving 800 volunteers aged between 18 and 65 years was published in September 2021 in Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics journal.

Dr. H.S. Ravish of the Department of Community Medicine said that based on existing studies and literature, nearly 30 to 40 percent of patients drop out after three doses of the existing five-dose regimen owing to the complicated dosing schedule, frequent visits to the hospital or clinic, and potential loss of income associated with these visits. So, he said, the three-dose regimen of ThRabis will address this issue.

As rabies is not a notifiable disease, there is a lack of pan-India data on the incidence of animal bites and rabies, Association for the Prevention and Control of Rabies in India (APCRI) founder president Dr. M.K. Sudarshan told The Indian Express.

As per surveys conducted by APCRI, the total number of animal bites recorded in seven states including Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Manipur, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat increased from 998,276 in 2012 to 1,17,873 in 2016.

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Terming ThRabis vaccine as a “breakthrough”, Dr. Sudarshan suggested that the company must conduct a “post-market surveillance” to explore the success of the vaccine in the pediatric population and conduct studies with respect to special groups such as pregnant women and immunosuppressed persons.

Source-Medindia