Mumbai, April 9 NCP (SP) MLA Jayant Patil, in a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, opposed the proposed sale of the seed strain of DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus) vaccines to a private company and urged the government to immediately withdraw the move.
In his letter, Patil said the Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation plays a significant role in vaccination and has the capacity to produce DPT vaccines.
He termed the seed strain a rare and invaluable biological asset with a market value of thousands of crores of rupees and objected to its sale.
Patil said the institution was established in the name of scientist Waldemar Haffkine, who developed vaccines for humanity and chose not to patent his discoveries, believing that medical research should benefit mankind.
He said initiating the sale without considering these principles undermines Haffkine’s legacy.
He urged the government to cancel the proposal to sell the vaccine seed strain to any private entity and instead direct Haffkine to begin vaccine production on its own, stating that this would ensure affordable vaccines and strengthen the public healthcare system.
Earlier, during the budget session on March 24, Maharashtra Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar had also raised concerns over the move to transfer the historically significant vaccine strain from the Haffkine Institute to a private company.
Raising a point of information in the State Assembly, Wadettiwar questioned the urgency with which the institute had invited an Expression of Interest.
“The DPT vaccine strain held by Haffkine is an extremely rare and historic bio-resource with a market value of hundreds of crores. Despite this, the institute hastily initiated the process without adequate deliberation,” he had said.
He had also questioned why a public institution capable of producing vaccines independently would consider handing over such a valuable asset to a private entity.
“When Haffkine itself has the capacity to manufacture vaccines, why is a biological asset of around Rs 1,500 crore being handed over to a private company?” Wadettiwar had asked.
Warning of broader implications, he had said that if the strain goes into private hands, vaccines currently available at affordable rates may become expensive, directly affecting common citizens and weakening the public health system.
“Allowing a private company to control the State’s valuable bio-assets is a serious risk. The process to transfer the strain must be halted immediately, and Haffkine should instead be strengthened to expand its own production,” he had added.
Established in 1899, the Haffkine Institute is one of the oldest biomedical research institutes in the country and is engaged in training, research, and testing related to infectious diseases.
--IANS
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