India’s first indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine ‘Pneumosil’ launched

India’s first Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) ‘Pneumosil’, developed by Serum Institute in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was launched by Union Health Minister yesterday.

 ‘Pneumosil’ was found to be safe and effective in preventing Pneumonia disease during clinical trials. After approval from the Subject Expert Committee, the vaccine had been licensed by the Drugs Controller General (India) in July this year, said the health minister.

 Speaking at the event, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said vaccines from the Serum Institute are used in 170 countries and emphasised that the company has developed this vaccine during the Coronavirus pandemic and had also got the government’s approval. He also said this vaccine development falls in line with Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the prime minister’s vision.

 The minister also acknowledged the efforts made by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in this development making India self-reliant in PCV. ‘Pneumosil’ has been extensively evaluated in five randomised controlled clinical trials and has demonstrated comparable safety and immunogenicity against licensed pneumococcal vaccines across diverse populations of India and Africa,” Vardhan said.

 ‘Pneumosil’ is an example of India’s capability in Research and Development and manufacturing high end sophisticated vaccines,” he said.

 Chairman Poonawalla Group of Industries and Founder Serum Institute and Adar Poonawalla Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla with Chief Executive Officer Serum Institute were also present.