Scientists at a Hyderabad lab said they have developed not one, but two vaccines, using a live Zika virus imported officially.
Amid the scare over the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has now been declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO), scientists in India have claimed that they have developed the world's first vaccine for it.
According to NDTV, scientists at a Hyderabad lab said they have developed not one, but two vaccines, using a live Zika virus imported officially.
The virus, linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is spreading rapidly in the Americas, and WHO officials have expressed concern that it could hit Africa and Asia as well.
"On Zika, we are probably the first vaccine company in the world to file a vaccine candidate patent about nine months ago," Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech Ltd told NDTV.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR ) said that they would see the feasibility of taking it forward and that the vaccine could be a a good example of a 'Make in India' product.
Meanwhile, the first known case of Zika virus through sexual transmission has been reported in Texas, in the United States. Previously, international health officials had noted one case of possible person-to-person sexual transmission. But the Pan American Health Organization said more evidence was needed to confirm sexual contact as a means of Zika transmission. Medical literature also has one case in which the virus was detected in semen.
On Tuesday, French drugmaker Sanofi SA also announced that it has launched a project to develop a vaccine against the virus, the most decisive commitment yet by a major vaccine maker. The company said its Sanofi Pasteur vaccines division would use its expertise in developing vaccines for similar viruses such as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and dengue.
The University of South Australia said it was working on a Zika vaccine with Australian biotech Sementis Ltd.
US drug developer NewLink Genetics Corp also said it has started a project to develop Zika treatment options.
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