India’s Failed Deal With Global Biotech Firm to Fight Chikungunya

A worker sprays anti-mosquito fog (Photo: IANS)

10 years ago, India had “tried to partner” with a Denmark-based biotechnology major to work on developing a vaccine for chikungunya, but the “deal fell through”, Lt Gen (retd) JR Bhardwaj, a former member of National Disaster Management Authority claimed on Monday.

Around 2006, a team was constituted under the then Manmohan Singh government’s Department of Science and Technology for disaster management, and combating chikungunya was one of the top priorities for it.

JR Bhardwaj

The Indian government was to give $ 11 million to Nordic, but by that time Nordic got a call from US, so it went to Africa for research on the Ebola virus. There were other issues too that the two sides could not sort out, Bhardwaj claimed.

Bavarian Nordic’s Vice-President for Global Governmental Affairs Jesper Elsgaard commented on the situation, stating that they are keen on partnering with biotech firms for research on the chikungunya virus.

I cannot comment much on what happened back then with India and our company, but we need funding to function, and once we get the right partnership, we collaborate, like we have done in other countries such as Canada and Malaysia.

Jesper Elsgaard, Vice President for Global Governmental Affairs, Nordic

Chikungunya cases in Delhi have shot up to 423.

The last such spurt was in 2006, when over 13 lakh suspected chikungunya fever cases were reported across the country, according to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP).

Health experts have attributed the rise to a possible “evolution” in the virus that carries this disease, and change in weather factors like humidity.

More than traditional disasters like earthquakes and flood, we need to equip ourselves to deal with bio-hazard disasters like dengue, chikungunya, Ebola, Zika and Anthrax and other emerging diseases.

Nirankar Saxena, Senior Director, FICCI

(With inputs from PTI)