Sanofi Pasteur launches injectable inactivated polio vaccine

(Image for representational purposes only)

Hyderabad: Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, today announced launch of ShanIPV, an injectable inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao launched the vaccine here, a company release said.

ShanIPV would be manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur's affiliate Shantha Biotechnics in Hyderabad. ShanIPV is a trivalent inactivated, injectable polio vaccine.

Sanofi Pasteur and Shantha would provide majority of vaccine doses needed for the introduction by the end of 2016. All vaccines (both Imovax Polio of Sanofi Pasteur and ShanIPV of Shantha) would be delivered in India through UNICEF.

"With the introduction of IPV in the immunisation schedule, our Company is playing a key role in achieving the goal of a polio-free world," said Shailesh Ayyangar, Managing Director - India and Vice President - South Asia, Sanofi.

"Towards the polio eradication programme, we will manufacture massive quantities of high-quality, safe and efficacious IPV vaccines to meet all the milestones in the timeline set by the Indian Government," Mahesh Bhalgat, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Shantha Biotechnics, said.

"In line with the WHO's Global endgame strategy, India is introducing one dose of IPV at 14 weeks of age. IPV is to be given in addition to the existing oral polio vaccine. This introduction is a critical step towards achieving a polio-free world by 2019 to meet the Global Polio Eradication Initiative Endgame Strategic Plan," the company said in the release.

India was declared a polio-free nation in 2014.