Nepali government is speeding work to introduce tissue-cultured anti-rabies vaccine for humans within two years. Presently the bio-technology is in its trial phase, local media reported on Sunday.

Lat Narayan Chaudhary, assistant zoonotic at Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Ministry of Health and Population, said they are sending the second batch of trial vaccines to referral laboratory of the World Health Organization (WHO) to test the quality of the product.

Talking to THT Online, he said the WHO has phased out the betapropiolactone inactivated sheep brain rabies vaccine, which used to be produced here, for human use.

The new technology will save the country 100 million Nepali rupees (some US$1.3 million) annually, which is presently spent on importing anti-rabies vaccine.

Chaudhary claims that the production can meet the domestic demand meeting the standard.

(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2009)