India Resolves Polio Vaccine Concerns

Sanofi Healthcare India Pvt Ltd (SHIPL) has recently received approval from authorities to distribute the IMOVAX-Polio vaccine, aiming to avoid any polio vaccine supply constraints in India.

The Hindu confirmed on April 5, 2024, that the IMOVAX-Polio vaccine will replace the discontinued trivalent Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) ShanIP, which was launched in India in 2015.

Sanofi had previously announced that ShanIPV would discontinue in December 2023.

Access to polio vaccines is essential, as the U.S. CDC confirmed in 2024 that there have been outbreaks and poliovirus detections in 31 countries.

To help reduce the further spreading of polio, over one billion oral vaccine (nOPV2) doses have been administered in more than 35 countries. However, the nOPV2 vaccine is not available in the U.S. in 2024.

In the United States, IPV vaccines have been offered at clinics and pharmacies since 2000.

Furthermore, for certain people, the CDC recommends polio booster shots.

From a polio outbreak update, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative confirmed this week Afghanistan reported its first wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of 2024. Afghanistan and Pakistan are among the countries where WPV1 is endemic.

As of April 3, 2024, Pakistan had reported two WPV1 cases earlier this year.