American measles vaccine won’t hit Indian market without trials

NEW DELHI - An inhalable vaccine for measles which has been developed by scientists at the University of Colorado will not hit the Indian market any time soon, the government said Tuesday adding that clinical trials would be needed first.

“A dry powder inhalable measles vaccine has been developed by scientists from the University of Colorado, USA. The government of India is following the development of this inhalable vaccine and a decision on its suitability for Indian conditions would be considered when more evidence has been generated about its effectiveness and efficiency,” Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Trivedi told the Rajya Sabha in a written statement.

For the vaccine, the minister said a “carbon dioxide assisted nebuliser with a bubble dryer process technology has been used”.

“This technology is still in developmental stages and would need to go through various phases of clinical trials before it can be made available in the market,” Trivedi added.

The minister further said that “inhalation of dry powder has potential benefits of easier logistics of administration, reduced cold chain dependence and avoids risk associated with injections. No published data, however, is available on the safety and immunogenicity of dry powder inhalable measles vaccine.”