Nadda Launches Indigenously Manufactured Td Vaccine In Himachal Pradesh's Kasauli

Shimla: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Saturday launched the indigenously manufactured Tetanus and Adult Diphtheria (Td) Vaccine at the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh.

Speaking on the occasion, Nadda congratulated scientists, technical experts and staff of the Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli, describing the indigenous launch of the Tetanus and Adult Diphtheria (Td) vaccine as a "momentous and historic occasion". He said the launch marks a significant step towards safeguarding national health security and strengthening India’s public health infrastructure.

The Minister said the Central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set targets for achieving self-reliance in the health and pharmaceutical sectors. He said the launch of the indigenously manufactured Td vaccine represents a concrete step towards the vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' in health and medicine.

Union Minister JP Nadda launching the Td vaccine (PIB)

Nadda said India is widely recognized as the “pharmacy of the world” and is among the leading vaccine manufacturers globally. He further said India has achieved Maturity Level 3 in the World Health Organization’s global benchmarking of regulatory systems, reflecting the robustness of its vaccine regulatory framework. "Institutions such as CRI have played a significant role in achieving these standards," he said.

The Minister said under the 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative, India supplied vaccines to nearly 100 countries, of which 48 countries received vaccines free of cost. He said the contributions of public sector institutions such as CRI strengthened India’s capacity to serve both domestic and global needs. Nadda said CRI is the first government institute to manufacture vaccines under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards, reflecting the modernization and revitalization of public sector vaccine manufacturing units.

Nadda said the annual immunization cohort comprises nearly 5 crore beneficiaries, including around 2.5 crore pregnant women and as many children. Due to systematic tracking and sustained immunization efforts, vaccine coverage in the country has reached nearly 99 per cent.

Referring to Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the Minister said it is the world’s largest publicly funded health coverage programme, benefitting over 62 crore people. He further said all citizens above 70 years of age, irrespective of socio-economic criteria, are eligible for health coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per year under the scheme.

Nadda said the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) currently provides 11 vaccines protecting against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases, in which CRI has made substantial contributions.

The Minister recalled that historically, vaccine and drug development timelines were long—tetanus vaccine development took decades globally, tuberculosis medicines took nearly 30 years to evolve, and the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine took almost a century of scientific effort. In contrast, during the Covid-19 pandemic, India developed two indigenous vaccines within nine months and administered over 220 crore doses, including booster doses. He also highlighted that Covid-19 vaccination certificates were delivered digitally, demonstrating India’s digital transformation in public health delivery.

The Td vaccine has been introduced for supply under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). The Central Research Institute will supply 55 lakh doses to the UIP by April, with production expected to scale up progressively in subsequent years to further strengthen the Universal Immunization Programme, he said.

In 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) had recommended that countries transition from Tetanus Toxoid (TT) vaccine to Td vaccine. The recommendation was reaffirmed in the WHO Tetanus Vaccine Position Paper (2017) and through deliberations of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) in 2002 and 2016.

Also Read

J P Nadda Highlights Health Gains, Says Initiatives Made Healthcare More Affordable Under Modi Govt