PESHAWAR: Efficacy of hepatitis-B vaccine under study
By Our Correspondent
PESHAWAR, May 25: The Pakistan Medical Research Council (PMRC) has planned to conduct a study aimed at ascertaining the efficacy of the anti-hepatitis-B vaccines. "We have approved the project and would undertake it in near future.
The study is part of the research activities and continuous promotion of medical education of the centre," said Dr Zahoorullah, principal scientific officer and in charge of the PMRC, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar.
According to him, the study to be conducted by the Project Evaluation and Research Committee of the PMRC on the students of the Khyber Medical College, would provide a clear picture to the general public and medical community concerning the efficacy of the anti-hepatitis-B vaccines manufactured and marketed by the multinational pharmaceutical companies.
"Given the fear and scare created by hepatitis, the people have become more sensitive and they are vaccinating themselves. Henceforth, there is no mechanism to judge the effectiveness of these vaccines and even the people associated with medical community who are much exposed to hepatitis, do not know if they were safe even after getting vaccinated for the killer ailment," he elaborated.
Established in 1975, the PMRC is the only public sector organization conducting research in various branches of medical sciences. Every medical college in the country has one PMRC, and some 18 centres operated under the federal government, which coordinate and conduct research and disseminate it among the medical community.
Its activities also include community-based research and publications. The Pakistan Journal of Medical Research, which carries the research activities of all the centres, is being circulated among the medical professionals on quarterly basis.
Dr Zahoorullah said different vaccines with varying prices were being sold in the market. The study, he said, would be conducted on the medical students, who had got vaccinated three years ago at the time of their admission to the college.
"The study would reveal the state of anti-bodies titre in bodies of the recipients of the vaccines. If the anti-bodies' concentration is enough, then the vaccine-getters are considered to be in safe zone, because of the successful vaccination," he explained. About five to eight per cent of the people, he said, happened to be immuno-compromised and there is no effect of the vaccines over them.
According to him, there are two types of vaccines, i.e., enzymatic and genetically engineered, the latter is more effective as well as safe. He said the people needed three doses, i.e., one in first month, followed by two doses on third and sixth month, respectively, whereas some vaccines can be administered in one state dose, followed by one, two and three months and a booster dose after one year.
"After five years, another course should be taken to get further safe for the whole life," he said. Children are not included in the survey because the government had recently started provision of free vaccines to them at the state-run hospitals and three years of their vaccination are yet be completed.
Some of the companies claim that only two doses of their vaccines are enough. He said the business of the vaccines was thriving because of the big profit margin and the public awareness regarding the disease.
Dr Zahoorullah recalled that some time back a similar survey had been conducted at all the PMRCs in the country, but the vaccines had been provided by one company. But this study would be more extensive, because the medical students had got vaccines manufactured by different companies.
The vaccines for Hepatitis-B were manufactured in early eighties and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Now, the ministry of science and technology has issued funds to the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, which is aggressively working to manufacture the vaccines locally.
