ISG given go-ahead to manufacture 'interferon': National Assembly body on health meets

Ministry of Health Tuesday allowed Interferon Study Group (ISG) for indigenously manufacturing anti-hepatitis vaccine 'interferon' on clinical trial basis for its second phase on the directives of National Assembly Standing Committee on Health.
The committee, which met with its Chairman Dr Nadeem Ehsan in the chair here at Parliament House, also directed Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) not to intervene or harass the ISG researchers team, headed by Professor Dr Javed Akram and Dr Riaz-ud-Din and allowed the researchers to continue their work.
Dr Javed Akram revealed that 100,000 vaccines of interferon expired last month due to the ban being imposed by Ministry of Health on the influence of importers mafia along with some officials of the ministry that resulted in a loss of Rs 500 million to the national exchequer.
He said that in the country every fourth death occurred due to hepatitis, adding that 200,000 lives could have been saved if interferon came in market. The committee took strict action of the matter and observed that criminal cases should be initiated against the involved officials and also asked Secretary Health Khoshnood Lashari for comments. Secretary Health said that investigation was underway to ascertain any mollified intentions of any official of the ministry behind the ban.
Dr Akram further informed the committee that an official of the director rank in FIA, named Azher Mehmood was harassing the team of researchers in the name of investigations, particularly Dr Riaz-ud-Din, who was the first Pakistani researcher to indigenously develop the vaccine.
He said that the team will welcome every kind of information if required by the FIA regarding the effects and side-effects of interferon. But he added that their work should not be hampered in the name of the investigations and they must not be harassed. The committee also took serious notice of the Ministry of Science and Technology for hampering the manufacturing of interferon and also expressed displeasure over its official for not providing relevant information to the committee.
The committee, however, allowed the ISG, comprising researchers from Allama Iqbal Medical College and Jinnah Hospital Complex, Lahore to go ahead on the manufacture of interferon for its phase on clinical trial basis and also directed the FIA and Ministry of Science and Technology not to intervene in its work until final report of the committee comes. The committee also fixed its next sitting in Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore on January 19.
A committee member Dr Donya Aziz took serious notice against FIA official for giving 'misleading' information about the agency's investigation into interferon, saying that the official has breached privilege of the committee. "I am going to move a privilege motion against the FIA official who while sitting for two hours in the committee even don't have information as what is being discussed", she said.
The committee also commended the work of Dr Riaz-ud-Din, who was the first researcher to indigenously develop interferon and asked him to keep his work continued. The committee observed that any harassment of the FIA would be tantamount to the harassment of the committee. Earlier, Dr Shehzad Alam, head of the Centre for Advance Molecular Biology (CAMB) said that 'interferon' was the best products, but he regretted that it was being politicised.
The Chairman of the committee Dr Nadeem Ahsan said that Chairman Implementation Commission on 18th Constitutional Amendment, Mian Raza Rabbani will brief the committee on the devolution process by the end of February or first week of March. Later, talking to Business Recorder, Dr Javed Akram said that it takes three to four months to develop an interferon vaccine, adding that currently the country is importing interferon costing Rs 40 billion annually.
He said that almost 25 million Pakistanis need interferon, which is available at Rs 900 per vaccine at the market. He said that they want that it must be available at cheaper rates not higher than Rs 40 per vaccine. The meeting was attended by Yasmeen Rehman, Zil-e-Huma, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Dr Mahreen Razzaque Bhutto, Hanif Abbasi, Dr Donya Aziz, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Begum Shahnaz Sheikh, Reena Kumari and others.