About Author: Mr.Mahendra G. Pawar* (B.Pharmacy) Ms.Komal R. Nikam (B.Pharmacy), Mr.Rakesh D.Amrutkar (M.Pharmacy)
Reference ID: PHARMATUTOR-ART-1059
Abstract
Biotechnologists in recent years have come up with a new concept.This new concept is about edible vaccine. The difference here lies, that crops like “golden rice” provided extra nutrition that naturally didn’t occur in it. But edible vaccines are GM crops that would provide extra added “immunity” from certain diseases.
Edible vaccines are composed of antigenic proteins and do not contain pathogenic genes (because obviously they use attenuated strains). Thus, they have no way of establishing infection and safety is assured.Oral administration is possible , production is highly efficient and can be easily scaled up.For example, hepatitis-B antigen required to vaccinate whole of China annually, could be grown on a 40-acre plot and all babies in the world each year on just 200 acres of land,Cheaper (single dose of hepatitis-B vaccine would cost approximately 23 paise), grown locally using standard methods and do not require immense capital investment of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, exhibit good genetic stability. Do not require special storage condition. Since syringes and needles are not used chances of infection are also less. Fear of contamination with animal viruses - like the mad cow disease, which is a threat in vaccines manufactured from cultured mammalian cells - is eliminated, because plant viruses do not infect humans.