Cadila develops India's first virus like particle vaccine for treating flu

CPL Biologicals, which has developed the vaccine, is a JV between Cadila and US-based Novavax

CPL Biologicals Pvt Ltd, a joint-venture biotechnology company of Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India and Novavax Inc, USA, has indigenously developed 'Cadiflu-S' becoming the first Indian company to develop a vaccine to treat seasonal influenza.

Cadiflu-S is also the world’s first influenza vaccine to be based on virus-like particle (VLP) technology, a company statement said.

The company has set up a facility at Dholka near Ahmedabad in Gujarat and made an initial investment of Rs 100 crore. The plant has the capacity of producing up to 25 million doses of vaccine every year.

"Cadiflu-S does not contain any viruses, and is a major technological breakthrough since it completely eliminates the possibility of any infection to the vaccinated person from the vaccine. The viruses present in other available vaccines can, at times, replicate in human body thereby causing disease by the vaccine itself," said Cadila Pharma.

The company further added that the vaccine, which is devoid of egg proteins, antibiotics and preservatives, will be a huge relief for those who are prone to allergies.
 

Rajiv Modi, chairman and managing director, Cadila Pharma said, "The VLP technology provides us with a huge edge, as it takes only 12-14 weeks to develop the new strain specific vaccine, as against 24 to 32 weeks for the development of a conventional vaccine. If there is a necessity tomorrow, we can launch other types of pandemic flu vaccines, like H7N9 vaccines at a much faster pace compared to conventional vaccines."

Dr James F Young, Chairman, Novavax Inc, said, "We have successfully completed Phase III trials at 10 centers across India to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of this seasonal influenza VLP vaccine. Cadiflu-S has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for launching the vaccine in India. We have also developed a strong pipeline that include 3-dose and single dose vaccines for treating rabies, pancreatic cancer vaccine, hepatitis E vaccine, varicella zoster virus vaccine and human papilloma vaccine."

The seasonal vaccine which is supposed to be administered every year due to changing strains of the virus, protects even healthy individuals from influenza.
 

The seasonal influenza virus affects the lungs and other areas of the respiratory tract. People with cardiac ailments, diabetes, metabolic diseases, renal failure and asthma run a high risk of developing complications.

The World Health Organisation had in February recommended influenza virus vaccines for use in the northern hemisphere. India’s demand for influenza vaccines has been growing rapidly with an estimated 2 - 2.5 million dosages per year.