Himachal's CRI resumes vaccine production

Shimla, March 20 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh's Central Research Institute (CRI), whose manufacturing licence was cancelled in January 2008, has resumed production of vaccines with the central government giving it clearance, a minister said here Saturday.

"CRI has resumed production of vaccines after the central government in its orders dated Feb 12 and 26 cleared its drug production licence," Health Minister Rajeev Bindal told IANS.

The state government had pursued the licence case with the union health and family welfare ministry, he added.

"The central government has even sanctioned Rs.30 crore for CRI in its budget for the next fiscal," the minister said.

CRI was engaged in large-scale production of bacterial and viral vaccines. Its licence was cancelled in January 2008 on the ground that the 103-year-old institute was not meeting the good manufacturing practice requirements as laid down by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The health ministry in one of its orders said: "CRI shall ensure that the production line is made fully compliant with GMP (good manufacturing practice) standards within three years from the date of the issue of the order. During the period, it shall furnish quarterly progress reports to the central government indicating the action taken in this regard."

Some of the vaccines being produced by CRI are DPT, tuberculosis, anti-rabies, tetanus, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and BCG.