Illustrative image (Source: The Alliance for Natural Health)Khanh Hoa (VNA) – Two influenza vaccines and , which were successfully produced in
Vietnam, were introduced at a workshop held by the Institute of
Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) and the Programme for Appropriate
Technology in Health
(PATH) in the central province of Khanh Hoa on September 25.
The vaccines are
the results of a project to improve the capacity of developing influenza
vaccines in Vietnam, which has been carried out since 2010.
VACFLU-S
(seasonal influenza vaccine) provides immunity against the Influenza B virus
and the H1N1, H3N2 subtypes of the Influenza A virus, while IVACFLY provides
immunity against the H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus.
Participants to the event shared guidance and global progammes related to influenza vaccines; international assistance
for building policies, regulations and directions of the Ministry of Health on flu
vaccines; and summary reports on results of clinical trials of IVACFLY produced by in the first, second and
third phases.
IVAC
Director Associate Professor, Dr. Le Van Be said the institute successful
conducted clinical trials for the two vaccines.
Both of vaccines
are safe, enabling healthy adults to be immune from flu, he said, adding that
the vaccines have undergone many clinical trials since 2017.
Since 2010, PATH, an international, non-profit
global health organization, has worked with the Vietnamese Ministry of Health to
devise a long-term plan on influenza vaccine production and consumption, as
well as guidance on clinical trials and vaccine registration.
Over the 2017-2018 period, the second phases of
the vaccine trials for seasonal influenza and A/H5N1 were completed, paving the
way for the vaccines to be licensed for commercial use.
Notably, the price of the vaccines will be only
one-third of imported ones, standing at 80,000-120,000 VND (3.5-5 USD) per
dose.
According to IVAC, at a seminar on seasonal
influenza vaccine production in Vietnam which took place in late August, Deputy
Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long announced that locally produced seasonal
influenza vaccines had received their first order from the World Health
Organisation (WHO), making Vietnam among the 14 countries supplying the
preventative treatment.
Influenza is a leading cause of low morbidity
and mortality worldwide. Seasonal influenza causes some 250,000-500,000
fatalities and up to five million cases of severe illness across the globe
every year.
Vietnam reports more than a million cases of
influenza-like illnesses every year and has reported isolated cases of avian
influenza A/H5N1 in humans, a strain with a particularly high fatality rate.
The strain is being monitored for any evolution
or adaptation that could turn it into an easily-spread form, bolstering against
the likelihood of a pandemic.
The IVAC, established in 1978 by the MoH, plans
and carries out the production of vaccines and serums for the Expanded
Programme on Immunisation in Vietnam and the overall prevention and treatment
of diseases. It also conducts research and applies technological advances in
vaccine development and production in cooperation with organisations both
inside and outside the country.–VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
