India gets approval to manufacture vaccine for pneumonia

India's first locally-developed vaccine to combat pneumonia has been given the green signal for production by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), according to the health ministry.

"This is the first indigenously developed vaccine in the field of pneumonia," a statement issued by the ministry said.

The vaccine is used for active immunisation against invasive disease and pneumonia caused by "streptococcus pneumonia" in infants and is administered in an intra-muscular manner, it said.

In the past, demand for the vaccine in the country was substantially met by imports since all manufacturers were based outside India, the statement added.

The permission to manufacture the vaccine domestically was granted on Tuesday.

Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine has been developed by Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd in the western Indian city of Pune after the company got the approval of DCGI to conduct Phase I, Phase II and Phase III clinical trials.

These trials have since been concluded in India and in Gambia and Africa, the ministry said in the statement.

The clinical trial result data has been reviewed by the office of DGCI with the help of a special expert committee for vaccines which then recommended the grant of permission of market authorisation to the vaccine.