For Immediate Release

Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited
Japan International Cooperation Agency

Helping Vietnam Start Domestic Production of a Measles-Rubella Combined Vaccine

Aiming to lower incidence rates with Japanese production technology

 

Tokyo, Japan (June13, 2013) – Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited’s subsidiary Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine Co., Ltd. (hereafter, Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced today that the two organizations have begun technical cooperation to produce the first measles-rubella combined vaccine in Vietnam.

 

The government of Vietnam has worked to improve immunization rates for vaccines to prevent polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and tuberculosis as part of its effort to lower the mortality rate for children up to 5 years of age under the National Expanded Programme on Immunization in Vietnam.

 

The Kitasato Institute Research Center for Biologicals (current Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine) and JICA offered technical assistance to Vietnam’s public corporation Center for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals (POLYVAC) to produce the measles vaccine for four years between March 2006 and March 2010. As a result of this cooperation, POLYVAC has acquired technology for domestic production of measles vaccine.

 

On the other hand, the number of rubella cases has been on the rise in many countries. Rubella not only affects the health of infants—when contracted by pregnant women, it can cause risk of congenital disorders in newborns. Therefore, the World Health Organization recommended each country to introduce rubella immunization last year. Rubella incidence rates in Vietnam are extremely high, so it is urgent there to strengthen measles-rubella combined vaccine production capacity to secure a stable supply of vaccines.

 

This technical cooperation project utilizes the rubella vaccine production technology of Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine, in addition to the existing measles vaccine production technology of POLYVAC, to build a cGMP*¹ compliant measles-rubella combined vaccine production system that is expected to contribute to lowering the rate of measles and rubella cases in Vietnam.

 

*1 cGMP: Current Good Manufacturing Practice

 

Media inquiries
Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. Corporate Communications Department Tel: 03-6225-1126	Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Media Division Tel: 03-5226-9780