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Vaccine manufacturers flayed

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI APRIL 21. Even as a global charities organisation "Save The Children'' has come down heavily on vaccine manufacturers recommending use of expensive vaccines in developing countries against Hepatitis B and H influenza, a detailed mathematical analysis of the arguments provided to push through such vaccines in India done at Delhi's St. Stephen's Hospital here has also proven that the benefits of such vaccine are exaggerated.

Conducted by a team of researchers headed by Jacob M. Puliyel, Head of the Pediatrics Department of St. Stephen's Hospital, the analysis -- which relies on figures provided by the Indian Council for Medical Research -- has lamented the fact that the onus of showing cost benefit of such vaccines has now shifted from the manufacturers to consumer organisations like the World Health Organisation.

Two things that support the contentions of the study done by the international NGO along with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are "exaggerated benefits'' and "promoting vaccines that are not needed''. According to Dr. Puliyel, an example of the exaggerating benefits is provided by what Miller and Kane of the WHO Children's initiative suggest -- that a quarter of carriers of Hepatitis B in India die at the age of 45.

``For this, they rely heavily on the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in Taiwanese males which is 495 cases per 100,000 carriers. This even ignores the fact that the incidence is three to four times more in Taiwanese women. Selectively using figures to project the dangers of Hepatitis B on the world's population grossly exaggerates those dangers,'' argued Dr. Puliyel.

Coming down heavily on the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisations -- the world body which is promoting such immunisation in developing countries -- the "Save the Children'' study had concluded that although the initiative had succeeded in raising the profile of immunisation programmes in developing countries, it had failed to ensure that additional resources were provided to countries with weak health systems before they take on expensive new vaccines.''

As regards promotion of vaccines that are needed, Dr. Puliyel said four doses of haemophlius influenzae type B vaccine are recommended to each year's birth cohort. "'We have shown that there is natural immunity to H influenzae type B in Indian infants. The vaccine is not being routinely used here at present.''

What is happening at present is precisely what has been outlined in the study. "Raising poor countries awareness of immunisation programmes without detailed advice and financial support in implementing such schemes could end up creating markets for costly new vaccines while doing little to tackle the killer diseases.''

Arguing that not all vaccines have the same societal benefits, Dr. Puliyel also seconds the findings of the study. "Organisations like the WHO must avoid the blandishments of vaccine manufacturers if they are to retain their credibility,'' he said.

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