Publications by authors named "Sridhar Vemula"

Clinical trials are the most rigorous scientific and regulated method to investigate the safety and efficacy of vaccines or drugs in pre-licensure stage. Clinical trial design and implementation are complex, time-consuming and involves close engagement with country's regulatory authority, clinical trial sites, investigators, and the healthcare system. Over the past few decades, a significant number of clinical trials have been conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in resource-limited settings.

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Article Synopsis
  • Clinical trials (CT) are essential for developing new medicines and require participant involvement, which is influenced by their attitudes and understanding of the trials.
  • A study at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Nepal assessed the knowledge and perceptions of 622 participants in a phase III CT, finding that a vast majority were literate, of indigenous backgrounds, and had not participated in a CT before.
  • Results showed that 91% of participants had adequate knowledge and 95.7% had a positive perception of CT, with most joining for disease protection and believing the trials benefit humanity, suggesting the need for future studies on knowledge before and after participation.
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Background: In October, 2017, WHO launched a strategy to eliminate cholera by 2030. A primary challenge in meeting this goal is the limited global supply capacity of oral cholera vaccine and the worsening of cholera outbreaks since 2021. To help address the current shortage of oral cholera vaccine, a WHO prequalified oral cholera vaccine, Euvichol-Plus was reformulated by reducing the number of components and inactivation methods.

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Typhoid remains one of the major serious health concerns for children in developing countries. With extremely drug-resistant cases emerging, preventative measures like sanitation and vaccination, including typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCV) remain the mainstay in its prevention and control. Different types of TCVs are being developed to meet the global demand.

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Background: Typhoid fever is a common disease in developing countries especially in the Indian subcontinent and Africa. The available typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCV) have been found to be highly immunogenic in infants and children less than 2 years of age. Many countries are planning to adopt TCV in their routine EPI programs around 9 months of age when measles containing vaccines are given.

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Background: Typhoid fever is an endemic disease in many low-income and middle-income countries. The 2018 WHO position paper recommends that countries should consider typhoid vaccination in high-risk groups and for outbreak control. To address the typhoid vaccine supply and demand gap, a typhoid Vi polysaccharide-diphtheria toxoid (Vi-DT) conjugate vaccine development effort was undertaken to achieve WHO prequalification and contribute to the global supply of typhoid conjugate vaccine.

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Clinical trials are complicated, time-consuming and costly. From the initial screening, informed consent and recruitment of the participants' to study completion, the sponsor must undertake a wide array of complex and closely monitored operations, complying with international standards for human subject research and local requirements. Conducting these studies in an underdeveloped country, with limited resources, infrastructure, and experience with regulated clinical trials adds to this complexity.

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This open-label study assessed the safety and immunogenicity of two doses (14 days apart) of an indigenously manufactured, killed, bivalent (Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139), whole-cell oral cholera vaccine (SHANCHOL; Shantha Biotechnics) in healthy adults (n = 100) and children (n = 100) in a cholera endemic area (Vellore, South India) to fulfill post-licensure regulatory requirements and post-World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification commitments. Safety and reactogenicity were assessed, and seroconversion rates (i.e.

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