VietNamNet Bridge - The first domestically produced Rota vaccine is expected to enter the Vietnamese market by the end of this year at a fraction of the cost of its imported counterpart.

Research to manufacture a Rota vaccine to prevent diarrhoea in children was successful, said Le Thi Luan, deputy director of the Ministry of Health's Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals.

The research, which began in 1998, focused on the creation of the Rota virus for the purpose of developing a vaccine and designing a production process, said Luan.

"The quality of the vaccine is equivalent to Belgium's Rotarix vaccine which is used in Viet Nam," she said.

Each dose of the domestic vaccine will cost around VND200,000 (US$11), one-third of the cost of the imported vaccine.

Thirty adults and 1,000 children aged from 12 weeks to six years participated in the study in Phu Tho Province's Thanh Son District and Thai Binh Province's Thai Binh City. Test results revealed the vaccine was safe for both adults and children.

An evaluation of the drug was conducted by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and it was approved for use by the National Institute for Control of Vaccines and Biologicals.

"The Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals is currently finalising the procedures to produce the vaccine for entry into the market," said Luan.

Diarrhoea caused by the Rota virus is an acute intestinal inflammation which is a common disease in children around the world.

In Viet Nam, more than 50 per cent of children under five-years-old suffer from the disease each year, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Source: VNS