India and the race for vaccine development
HEADLINES:
India and the race for vaccine development
WHY IN NEWS:
Despite having several advantages, India has missed winning the race
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Health:Diseases
ISSUE:
INDIA AND THE RACE FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT
- The COVID-19 pandemic began in January 2020.
- Italy, France and the U.S. had the novel coronavirus importation in November–December of 2019, but it had remained unrecognised until laboratory test for diagnosis became available in mid-January 2020.
- By January 24, 2020, infection was detected outside China, Hong Kong and Macau, in Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Viet Nam, the U.S., France, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Nepal.
- By January 31, last year, Philippines, India, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. had documented virus importation.
- By February first week,26 afflicted countries realised that they were in the grip of a grave pandemic.
REPRESENTATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS
- Advanced biotechnology laboratories and large-scale vaccine manufacturing facilities made India a front runner, if not the best bet, to win the vaccine race in the world outside of China.
We had two more advantages: representation in two global initiatives–
- The Global Pandemic Preparedness Monitoring Board
- Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations(advising the world to prepare for vaccine development.
- The Prime Minister promised to lead SAARC countries in pandemic response.
- India had the capability to manufacture vaccine on a large scale.
HIGH-RATED FACILITIES
- India’s vaccine manufacturing facilities are highly rated, globally.
- However, they are concerned with research of a practical nature, for refining processes and products, rather than basic and fundamental research necessary for designing new vaccine candidates.
WHO SHOULD RESEARCH ON A VACCINE?
- Universities and Institutes of technologies are where such new ideas are incubated.
- Commercial manufacturing facilities depend on profit for research funding.
- When confronted with urgent need for vaccines, the wise approach would have been to establish a platform to bring the two groups together for fast-tracking vaccine candidate.
- The groups can implement designs,pre-clinical and clinical trials, and up-scaling manufacture of promising vaccines.
- Unfortunately, during January through March there was no guidance or leadership from the state for vaccine development.
EXPERTISE AND VACCINE DEVELOPMENT
- The expertise of the two global initiatives was not adapted for meeting India’s needs or for asserting India’s global leadership.
- Consequently, two made-in-India vaccines are now under the national regulatory agency’s assessment for suitability for emergency use authorisation.
- Neither vaccine has completed Phase 3 trials.
- By the end of December 2020, thirty-three countries other than China and Russia had already started vaccinating their citizens with vaccines with proper regulatory agency approvals.
- Four countries began vaccinations in the first half of December and twenty-nine countries began the process in the second half of December.
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
- India had the unique opportunity not only to lead the world in vaccine development and supply, but also in designing a vaccination strategy and platform for rolling out vaccine to the public.
- Utilising these two opportunities, India could have partly overcome the economic downturn due to the pandemic.
IASbhai WINDUP:
CLOSE INTROSPECTION
- New Delhi’s Science Advisory bodies, economic advisors, Academia, Medical and Science Academies and Biotechnology experts ought to do some serious introspection now.
- We lacked neither competence nor infrastructure, but lulled ourselves into overconfidence and complacency.
We were slow, but had we been steady, we ought to have won the race.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | Indian Vaccine Development : Too Slow ? | UPSC

DISCOVER MORE : GENERAL STUDIES-III
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