Kasauli: The Indigenous Td vaccine launch marked a major milestone in India’s public health journey as Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda unveiled the Tetanus and Adult Diphtheria (Td) vaccine at the Central Research Institute in Himachal Pradesh.
Addressing scientists and officials, Nadda described the occasion as historic. He congratulated the CRI team for strengthening national health security through indigenous vaccine production. The minister said the initiative reflects the government’s commitment to self-reliance in the health and pharmaceutical sectors.
Indigenous Td vaccine launch strengthens immunization drive
With the formal introduction of the Td vaccine, CRI will now supply 55 lakh doses to the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) by April 2026. Production will scale up in subsequent years to meet national demand.
Nadda highlighted that India is widely recognised as the “pharmacy of the world” and ranks among the top global vaccine manufacturers. He noted that India has achieved Maturity Level 3 in the World Health Organization’s global benchmarking of regulatory systems. Institutions like CRI, he said, have contributed significantly to this achievement.
The minister also underlined the scale of the UIP, which he described as the world’s largest immunization programme. It currently provides 11 vaccines protecting against 12 diseases. Every year, nearly five crore beneficiaries, including around 2.5 crore pregnant women and 2.5 crore children, receive immunization support under the programme.
Due to sustained efforts and digital tracking platforms such as U-WIN, vaccine coverage in India has reached nearly 99 percent. Nadda called this a transformative leap in public health outcomes.
He further recalled India’s rapid vaccine development during the COVID-19 pandemic and its global outreach under the Vaccine Maitri initiative. Public sector institutions, including CRI, played a crucial role in these efforts.
The transition from Tetanus Toxoid (TT) to Td vaccine follows recommendations from the World Health Organization and India’s National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization. The move aims to strengthen protection against diphtheria while sustaining gains in maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination.
Officials stated that CRI completed all required regulatory steps, including developmental studies and licensing approvals, before commencing commercial production.
The Indigenous Td vaccine launch is expected to reinforce India’s public health infrastructure and enhance protection for millions of beneficiaries across the country.
