Simple, quick and cost-effective diagnostic kits developed to detect transmittable infectious diseases to ensure timely interventions to control outbreaks, under an ICMR and Zydus public-private partnership initiative.
The diagnostic tools that are ready for the market include ELISA kit for detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) in mosquito vectors; and the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in sheep, goat and cattle.
Additional products in the pipeline, which will be ready for release shortly include diagnostic kits for measles; Kyasanur Forest Disease Virus (KFDV) and Chandipura Virus (CHPV) in Humans; and multiplex real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for simultaneous detection of dengue and chikungunya.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Zydus announced the launch of new diagnostic kits, developed by ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune to detect neglected infectious diseases in livestock. The kits have been developed to detect infections in the animal population, as they often are the hosts or reservoirs, spreading the infection to humans who come in close contact with them.
This public private partnership will open newer avenues for many more indigenously diagnostics for public health benefits. These technologies will enable detection of outbreaks of dangerous and lifethreatening diseases and also give a boost to the government’s ‘Make in India’ efforts.
According to Secretary, Department of Health Research and DG-ICMR Dr Soumya Swaminathan, “ICMR is taking a lead in commercializing the innovations as a result of ICMR’s intramural and extramural research, so that the benefits of the research reach the common man. While tackling neglected infectious diseases, timely diagnosis and treatment are critical. To reach the ultimate goal of elimination of these neglected diseases, it will also be important to improve access, focusing on the fundamentals of preventive interventions. It is important to maintain constant vigilance through appropriate diagnosis, robust surveillance, monitoring and reporting mechanisms. Partnerships with diverse stakeholders including the private sector, NGOs and community-based organisations are specifically useful in creating awareness, case detection, treatment completion and most importantly, managing stigma associated with several of these diseases.”
These kits will be manufactured and marketed by Zydus Diagnostics, a division of Cadila Healthcare based in Ahmedabad. The kits provide results within 2.5 to 3 hours and are both highly sensitive and specific. The kits will be available for use in public health laboratories and hospitals across India and other countries. These diagnostic tests will help public health services in effective detection and surveillance. Another product in the pipeline is a Multiplex real time PCR kit for the detection dengue and chikungunya, which is useful in detection during early stages of the infection.
“In line with our mission to create healthier communities, we have always supported initiatives in public health, making niche technologies and therapies accessible to people and bridging unmet healthcare needs. We are happy to partner with ICMR and help in being better equipped in this war against infectious disease outbreaks. This make in India initiative is dedicated to the well-being of our people, who are at high risk, particularly in distant, remote areas of the country. This collaboration makes us self-reliant in detecting and starting early treatment so that precious lives can be saved,” said Pankaj Patel, Chairman, Zydus Group.
According to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, India witnessed 1916 cases of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) leading to 226 deaths in 2017. The virus is transmitted through more than 15 species of Culex mosquitoes, predominantly found in rural and semi-urban settings, where humans live in close proximity to these hosts. Timely detection of JE is a much needed public health intervention, as 1 in 4 cases can prove fatal. The test is user-friendly and detection is possible within four hours.
Apart from India, the Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever is also reported from Eastern Europe, former Soviet Union, throughout the Mediterranean, in North-western China, central Asia, Southern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Animal herders and livestock workers in endemic areas are at risk of CCHF. The other fairly common vector borne infectious diseases are Kyasanur Forest Disease and the Chandipura Virus Disease, which have been posing a threat to public health with periodic lifethreatening outbreaks.