Bangalore: The swine flu vaccine will be
brought out by March or April next year after completion of
animal and human trials, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi
Azad today said.
"We have already completed the first phase of animal
trials (on small animals) and begun the second phase on big
animals. We will be completing both the animal and human
trials by March and the vaccine will be launched by March end
or April first week", Azad told reporters after inaugurating
the renovated M S Ramaiah Medical Teaching Hospital here.
Noting that swine flu was a global phenomenon not
confined to India with the virus having spread to
210 countries, the Union Minister said, "In fact in India, the
spread of the pandemic has been far less compared to some
western countries."
"Although we will be late in bringing out the vaccine, we
will be launching it after fully testing its efficacy unlike
some other countries which have been in a hurry to bring it
(vaccine) out without fully testing its effectiveness", he
said.
He said 40 million capsules of tamiflu had been
purchased, out of which 20 million hade already been
distributed across the country.
PTI