The swine flu vaccine will be brought out by March or April next year after completion of animal and human trials, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Friday.
"We have already completed the first phase of animal trials (on small animals) and begun the second phase on big animals. We will be completing both the animal and human trials by March and the vaccine will be launched by March end or April first week", Azad told reporters after inaugurating the renovated M S Ramaiah Medical Teaching Hospital in Bangalore .
Noting that swine flu was a global phenomenon not confined to India with the virus having spread to 210 countries, the Union Minister said, "In fact in India, the spread of the pandemic has been far less compared to some western countries."
"Although we will be late in bringing out the vaccine, we will be launching it after fully testing its efficacy unlike some other countries which have been in a hurry to bring it (vaccine) out without fully testing its effectiveness", he said.
He said 40 million capsules of tamiflu had been purchased, out of which 20 million hade already been distributed across the country. PTI
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