Cadila Pharmaceuticals announced that it had developed its first novel three-dose vaccine against rabies. The three-dose vaccine called ‘ThRabis’ is a recombinant nano-particle based G protein vaccine prepared using virus-like particle technology, the company said in a statement.

The new vaccine will be a game-changer because all the existing rabies vaccines require five injections, given over 28 days to stop the threat of virus spread, Cadila Pharmaceuticals CMD Rajiv Modi said at the launch ceremony of the new vaccine. “Animal bite victims cannot complete the full course of the vaccine due to the long and complicated dosing schedule. This leaves many victims unprotected and exposed to developing rabies. With this new three-dose vaccine, many more lives can be saved,” he added.

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As per the data shared by the company, nearly 1.5 crore people become victims of animal bites, mainly dog bites, annually in India. Over 20,000 people die in India alone because they do not complete the entire course of the available vaccine. Only 30 lakh persons, out of 1.5 crore victims of animal bites, go to doctors to get a vaccine against rabies. But, nearly 40 per cent skip the last dose, which increases the risk of getting a rabies infection.

The company said it took nearly 12 years to develop this three-dose vaccine, and the vaccine was found safe in the clinical trials. The vaccine has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). The vaccine will be first launched in 11 states, and the price of one vial is fixed at Rs 750, while the whole treatment would cost around Rs 2,145.