Banned antigens found in polio vaccines… pharma co's MD held

NEW DELHI: A Ghaziabad-based pharma company's MD was arrested on Saturday after traces of prohibited antigens were found in polio vaccines. The Health Ministry has ordered a probe after traces of the polio type-2 virus were found in some batches of oral polio vaccine (OPV) manufactured by a Ghaziabad-based pharmaceutical company.

The managing director of Biomed Pvt Ltd., which was supplying polio vaccines for only government-run immunisation programmes, was arrested after the Central Drug Regulator filed an FIR in this case. "The company has five directors. While the managing director has been arrested, we have asked the police to trace the rest of the directors as they also need to be questioned," a government official said.

The Drugs Controller General of India has also asked the company to stop "manufacture, sale or distribution till further orders." According to a Health Ministry source, the contamination came to light after surveillance reports from Uttar Pradesh showed signs of the virus in stool samples of some children.

The OPVs were sent for testing which confirmed that some of them were contaminated with type-2 virus. Taking prompt action the ministry has also alerted the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra governments assuming a possible usage of the vaccine in these states too.