(Photo Courtesy: www.frianyheter.nu)
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi announced the launch of Shan5, its pediatric pentavalent vaccine developed and manufactured by its affiliate Shantha in India.
The launch of Shan5 vaccine received prequalification status from the World Health Organization (WHO) in April 2014.
Shan5's prequalification gives many more children in India access to the latest high-quality, fully-liquid, 5-in-1 vaccine.
Shan5 is a fully-liquid five-in-one, convenient, safe and high-quality vaccine that provides effective protection for children from 6 weeks of age against five diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib and hepatitis B. Shan5 vaccine has been developed and is produced by Shantha in Hyderabad, India.
Further, the prequalification helps Shan5 secure the supply of pentavalent combination vaccines in over 50 emerging and low-income countries.
It adds to the existing list of four vaccines that Shantha manufactures, including Shanchol - the innovative cholera vaccine.
"A significant number of babies born every year in India do not have access to modern vaccination programs. The launch of Shan5 in India means that 27 million babies born annually in India will have access to vaccination, to protect them from 5 potentially deadly diseases. By launching Shan5, Shantha will be contributing to filling this immunization gap for the benefit of babies and their parents", said Dr Harish Iyer, CEO, Shantha.
As the first doses are being made available, the company has different plans to respond to different needs: public vaccination programs and vaccination in the private practice.
