MPF plans to produce anti-rabies vaccination

MPF plans to produce anti-rabies vaccination
Published 7 March 2019
Ei Thin Zar Kyaw

YANGON-As the number of dog bites increased around Myanmar, Myanmar Pharmaceutical Factory (Insein) (MPF) already planned to produce anti-rabies vaccination, according to the MPF.

Last year, the number of dog bites reached to 190,000. So, the People’s Hospitals faced shortage of anti-rabies vaccination which is being provided by the Ministry of Health.

That’s why government had supported cash assistance aiming to vaccinate against rabies in doing so the state and township level hospitals immunized the person who was bitten a dog against rabies.

Currently, Human diploid cell vaccine-HDCV, purified vero cell rabies vaccine-PVRV, purified chick embryo cell vaccine-PCECV and purified duck embryo vaccine-PDEV are being used in the market.

The World Health Organization is now encouraging the program of Intradermal (ID) rabies vaccination schedule aiming to reduce the cash cost for anti-rabies vaccination.

The MPF, formally known as Burma Pharmaceutical Industry, or BPI, is a state-owned enterprise operating under the Ministry of Industry. Currently, there are 180 kinds of medicines, including powders, liquids, capsules and tablets, being manufactured by the MPF in Insein.

The new facilities include plants making antibiotics, vaccines, snake anti-venom, tablets and capsules and a warehouse, all of which were launched in 2016.