Low-cost cholera vacc developed by IVI

The Seoul, South Korea-headquartered International Vaccine Institute has developed a $1 per dose cholera vaccine by modifying a Vietnam-sourced  product. The IVI explained that the only alternative oral product, the  Netherlands-based biotechnology firm Crucell's Dukoral, costs $30 in  Scandinavia and $18 per dose in Bangladesh.

The Vietnamese agent (ORC-Vac), originally the result of a technology  transfer from Sweden, was selected by the IVI but found to require  reformulation and changes to its production technology were also  necessary, the Institute said. The new drug is approved by the World  Health Organization and a licensing deal has been signed with an  India-based firm, with the vaccine being marketed under the brand name  Shancol.

John Clemens, the IVI's director general, said: "the licensure of the  vaccine in India, where national regulatory authority is approved by the  WHO, paves the way for a wider use of the vaccine in cholera-endemic  populations in Asia and elsewhere." He added: "we are delighted that the  vaccine will be produced by Shantha Biotechnics, in Hyderabad, a company  with a strong record of supplying high-quality vaccines to United  Nations agencies, such as UNICEF."