Zydus Receives WHO Approval for its Typhoid Vaccine

Zydus Lifesciences announced that their typhoid vaccine ZyVac TCV has been granted preliminary acceptance by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO's pre-qualification will allow United Nations (UN) agencies to buy ZyVac TCV.

ZyVac TCV is produced locally at the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad. The vaccine is recommended to provide immunity against Salmonella typhi infection for individuals aged 6 months to 65 years. Every year, UN agencies purchase more than 150 million doses of the typhoid conjugate vaccine to stop the spread of typhoid in regions like India, Africa, and Southeast Asia where it is common.

Typhoid fever is a widespread infectious disease that results from consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar typhi (S. typhi). India is responsible for 75% of typhoid fever cases and deaths in the South Asian region.

According to GAVI (2022), Typhoid is responsible for approximately 11 to 21 million cases of febrile illness annually with an estimated death toll of 117,000 to 161,000.

Information analyzed by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) suggests that a significant amount of severe illness affects younger age groups, with 27% of all typhoid cases happening in children under five years old.