India will import Chinese tissue culture vaccine to combat Japanese Encephalitis in the country after establishing the efficacy and safety of the drug, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss said in Beijing [Images] on Wednesday.

"We have initiated a study by the Indian Council of  Medical Research with the collaboration of the World Health Organisation to test the efficacy and safety of Chinese tissue culture vaccine against JE," Ramadoss, currently on an official visit to China said. "The research is already underway and the  results are expected within six months. If the results are positive, India will import Chinese tissue culture vaccine against JE,"  Ramadoss told PTI in Beijing.

"We are looking at a good tissue culture vaccine and the only one available is the Chinese vaccine," he said while pointing out that tissue culture vaccines are less expensive than mouse brain vaccines and easier to manufacture in large quantities. Ramadoss said he had fruitful discussions with his Chinese counterpart, Gao Qiang, the Minister of the National Family Planning Commission of China, Zhang Weiqing and the Vice Minister in-charge of Traditional Chinese Medicine, She Jing on Tuesday. 

The discussions covered important areas of cooperation, including Indigenous Systems of Medicines, their processing technologies, quality control and Export Processing Zone for Traditional Medicines.