Zydus Lifesciences, including its subsidiaries and affiliates, has received in principle acceptability from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its typhoid conjugate vaccine, ZyVac TCV. This approval makes ZyVac TCV eligible for procurement by United Nations (UN) agencies. The vaccine is developed and manufactured at the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad.
ZyVac TCV is indicated for active immunisation against Salmonella typhi infection in individuals aged between 6 months and 65 years. The WHO prequalification allows ZyVac TCV to be included in the UN agencies’ procurement programme. Each year, UN agencies procure over 150 million doses of typhoid conjugate vaccine to combat typhoid in regions where the disease is most prevalent, including India, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Typhoid fever is a systemic febrile illness caused by the ingestion of the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar typhi, primarily through contaminated food and water. In South Asia, India accounts for 75 per cent of the incidence and mortality related to typhoid fever. According to GAVI (2022), typhoid is responsible for an estimated 11 to 21 million cases of febrile illness annually, with 117,000 to 161,000 deaths attributed to the disease.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) reports that a significant portion of the severe disease burden occurs in younger age groups. Data indicate that 27 per cent of all typhoid cases affect children under five years of age.