New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Saturday launched the indigenously manufactured Tetanus and Adult Diphtheria (Td) vaccine at the Central Research Institute in Himachal Pradesh, calling it a historic step towards strengthening India’s public health system and achieving self-reliance in healthcare.

The vaccine was launched at the Central Research Institute, Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh. Addressing scientists, technical experts and staff, Nadda congratulated the institute for developing the vaccine in India and described the occasion as momentous.

“The launch marks an important step in safeguarding national health security and strengthening the country’s public health infrastructure,” he said.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has set clear targets to achieve self-reliance in the health and pharmaceutical sectors,” the minister stated.

He said the indigenous Td vaccine is a concrete move towards the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat in healthcare.

With its formal launch, the Td vaccine has been introduced for supply under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).

The Central Research Institute will supply 55 lakh doses to the programme by April 2026.

Production is expected to increase further in the coming years to strengthen the immunisation drive across the country.

Highlighting India’s global reputation, Nadda said the country is known as the “pharmacy of the world” and is one of the leading vaccine manufacturers globally.

“India has achieved Maturity Level 3 in the World Health Organisation’s global benchmarking of regulatory systems — reflecting the strength of its vaccine regulatory framework,” he noted.

The Minister also recalled how vaccine development timelines were much longer in the past.

He said tetanus vaccine development took decades globally, tuberculosis medicines took nearly 30 years to evolve, and the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine required decades of scientific effort.

“In contrast, during the COVID-19 pandemic, India developed two indigenous vaccines within nine months and administered over 220 crore doses, including booster shots,” Nadda explained.

He added that vaccination certificates were delivered digitally, showing India’s digital progress in healthcare.

Referring to the Vaccine Maitri initiative, Nadda said India supplied COVID-19 vaccines to nearly 100 countries, including 48 countries that received them free of cost.

“Public sector institutions such as CRI strengthened India’s ability to meet both domestic and global needs,” he mentioned.

–IANS

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