Lagos, Nigeria / New Delhi, India, February 21, 2012: Panacea
Biotec, India's leading vaccine manufacturer celebrated the
63rd Indian Republic Day in a unique manner by
launching POLPROTEC (an enhanced potency, inactivated
poliovirus vaccine) in Nigeria in collaboration with Emzor
Pharma, Nigeria.
On this occasion, Panacea Biotec and Emzor announced a joint
Planet Polio-Free Mission statement "To contribute towards
achieving the goal of global polio eradication and to ensure
that no child will ever again be paralyzed by WPV or
Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus (VDPV)" by providing complete
portfolio of Oral Polio Vaccines (OPV) & Inactivated Polio
Vaccine (IPV) & IPV based combination vaccine at an
affordable price"
POLPROTEC was launched by Dr. Dorothy O, Esangbedo -
President of Pediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) in
PANCONF 2012, 43rd Annual General Meeting &
Scientific Conference of the association held at the Obafemi
Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals (OAUTH)
complex,Ile-Ife. Over 200 pediatricians from all over Nigeria
attended the conference.
I wish each one you & Emzor & Panacea Biotec India,
All the Best!!!"
Dr. Dorothy O, Esangbedo - President of PAN
launching POLPROTEC®- IPV in PANCONF 2012
The keynote speaker of the presentation session was Dr. Adamu Rabasa, consultant Pediatrician, University of Maiduguri teaching hospital and member of Polio Eradication Committee, Nigeria. The guest speaker Dr. Shafi Kolhapure of Panacea Biotec summed up his presentation saying "The initiative of IPV along with OPV will limit transmission of endemic Wild Polio Virus (WPV) type 1 and type 3 and will totally overcome inherent limitations of OPV like: 'Vaccine Derived polio Virus (VDPV), Vaccine-Associated Paralytic Poliomyelitis(VAPP) and variable Vaccine Efficacy (VE)"
Dr. (Mrs.) Stella Okoli, Group MD, Emzor Pharma stressed the need for partnership in the fight against polio eradication among Nigerian children and said, "We are very happy to be associated with Panacea Biotec Ltd for this noble cause to eradicate polio among Nigerian Children. We are committed to eradicate polio from the world and we will ensure that no child will ever again be paralysed by Wild Polio Virus or Vaccine-derived Poliovirus". Dr. Rajesh Jain, JMD, Panacea Biotec said "Panacea Biotec is committed to contribute to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative of WHO. Panacea Biotec foresaw the need of IPV during the end game of polio eradication Programme long back and launched the vaccine in India in 2008. We are now taking this vaccine to other polio endemic countries and are pleased to launch POLPROTEC® in Nigeria.(L-R) Ms. Stella, CEO of Emzor Pharmaceuticals , Chairman - Prof G C Onyemelukwe - Prof of Immunology, Dr. Adamu Rabasa, consultant pediatrician and member polio eradication committee at Stakeholder's meeting on "Planet Polio Free" held at Lagos on 21st Jan'12
The school children were brief on Polio disease & it's management at Emzor-Panacea Biotec stall in PANCONF-2012
Panacea Biotec is committed to provide IPV to millions of
deserving children in the under developed
and developing countries across the globe at an affordable
price"
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative launched by the World
Health Assembly in 1988 was very effective in bringing down
the polio cases & the number of endemic countries. But global
Polio eradication is still not within reach. In 2009-2010, 23
previously polio-free countries were re-infected due to
importation of the polio virus, mainly from Nigeria. The fact
that Polio is still endemic in 4 countries reflect "failure
to vaccinate" due to political & societal problems and OPV
The Major limitations with the use of OPVs are Suboptimal
vaccine efficacy (VE), Vaccine Associated Paralytic
Poliomyelitis (VAPP) and Vaccine Derived Polio Virus
(VDPV).
Between July 2009 - March 2011, 434 cases of VDPV were
detected globally. Nigeria has reported largest number of
cVDPV cases in the world. Between year 2000 - year 2009, 14
outbreaks & more than 400
VAPP cases were reported. Again Nigeria reported the highest
number of VAPP cases in the world. A study by showed many
districts in Nigeria harbour a Relative hazard of reporting
cases of type 2 cVDPV. A study was done in Nigeria to find
the Percentage of children, those below 5 years, with
vaccine- induced immunity against paralysis from poliovirus,
between 2005 to 2009, immunity to type 1 WPV poliomyelitis
increased significantly, immunity to type 2 cVDPV
poliomyelitis declined significantly in all zones & immunity
to type 3 WPV poliomyelitis increased significantly in the
North West & North East zones and declined significantly in 2
of the other 4 zones.
Despite of several efforts undertaken in the past including
the usage of monovalent and bivalent OPV, Nigeria still
remains one of the most entrenched reservoirs of Wild Polio
Virus (WPV) in the world, & it is the only country with
ongoing transmission of all 3 serotypes: WPV type 1, WPV type
3, & cVDPV type
2. In 2011 till week 39, 30 cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis
(AFP) has been reported in Nigeria
Source: WHO presentation during UNICEF industry consultation 25-26 January 2012
WHO strategy for Nigeria
WHO's Advisory Committee on Poliomyelitis Eradication has
recently shared with the vaccine industry that :
- Since 2010, major polio milestones have been achieved for
the 1st time ever
- An 'emergency approach' is being launched to address
chronic campaign and surveillance quality problems, esp. in
north Nigeria
- The 'emergency approach' and new endgame strategy require
early IPV introduction
A Roadmap for polio eradication in Nigeria is to follow WHO
recommendation of IPV with OPV
schedule wherein OPV is given at birth, followed by 3 doses
of OPV with IPV (6, 10, 14 weeks) and 2
boosters (15-18months & 4-6 years of age). The objective
behind this schedule is to accelerate eradication & reduce
occurrence of VAPP. For those children who have missed 3
doses of IPV in primary series can still catch up with
"Catch-Up" schedule of 0 (At Birth)-2 Months-6months till the
age of 5years. Many countries have integrated IPV in their
national immunization programs
Panacea Biotec is India's leading research-based health
management company with established research, manufacturing
and marketing capabilities. Panacea Biotec is the
2nd largest vaccine producer in India. Panacea
Biotec has been ranked as the 3rd largest biotechnology
company (ABLE Survey-
2011) and is also amongst the top 40 (ORG IMS TSA MAT March
2011) pharmaceutical companies in India. The product
portfolio of the Company includes highly innovative
prescription products in important therapeutic areas such as
pain management, diabetes management, renal-disease
management, anti-osteoporosis, anti-tubercular,
gastro-intestinal care products and vaccines. The company's
products reach more than 75 countries globally. The company
has collaborations and tie- ups with leading national and
international research organizations and corporations. The
company's state of the art manufacturing facilities for
vaccines and pharmaceutical formulations comply with the
US-FDA, UK-MHRA, SA-MCC and WHO-cGMP standards. Panacea
Biotec has five dedicated research and development centers.
The company has around 3800 employees including over 300
scientists. The company also has 33 product patents, valid in
more than 60 countries worldwide.
Panacea Biotec is amongst the largest supplier of OPV (mOPV1,
mOPV3, bOPV, tOPV) to UN
healthcare agencies. Panacea Biotec has supplied over 9
Billion doses of OPV globally & over 400
Million doses of OPV to Nigeria so far.
Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a subsidiary of Emzor Chemists Limited, is a wholly private indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturing company incorporated in Nigeria in 1984 for the purpose of manufacturing high quality pharmaceutical products and medical consumables Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has ventured into the importation and wholesale of assorted pharmaceuticals & have presence in various therapeutic areas. Today, Emzor has become a household name in Nigeria and a leader in the pharmaceutical market. Their products are widely distributed throughout Nigeria and the West African coast. Polprotec will be marketed by Emzor Pharmaceuticals subsidiary company, Zolon Healthcare.
For further details please contact: Mr. Kuldeep Singh Panacea Biotec Ltd B-1, Extn. / A-27, Mohan Co-op. Indl. Estates, Mathura Road New Delhi-110044 INDIA Phone: +91 11 41679000 Extn 2064; Fax: +91 11 41679027 E-mail - kuldeepsingh@panaceabiotec.comweb: www.panaceabiotec.com Mr Albert G. Udoh Zolon Healthcare Ltd Lagos Nigeria +234-1-7391531; 8105555 (ext 1018) E-mail - albert@zolonhealthcare.com DisclaimerExcept for the historical information contained herein, statements in this Release which contain words or phrases such as 'will', 'would',
'indicating', 'expected to' etc., and similar expressions or variations of such expressions may constitute 'forward-looking statements'. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to our ability to successfully implement our strategy, future business plans, our growth and
expansion in business, the impact of any acquisitions, our financial capabilities, technological implementation and changes, the actual growth in demand for our products and services, cash flow projections, our exposure to market risks as well as other general risks applicable to the business or industry. Panacea Biotec undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date thereof.