Response of the authors to the Letter “Concerns with regard to an article” published online on April 5, 2019 (DOI: 10.20529/IJME.2019.014) on the IJME website.

We have read the letter by Dr Biju George and Dr Anna Pulimood (1) in response to our report on consultations on human infection studies (2) in India, and emerging issues.  Their concerns are not so much with the content of our published report, as with their interpretation of it.

Their concern that we did not visit CMC Vellore seems to be unwarranted, as the information in the report is clear, specific and based on what transpired in various meetings. We have not drawn any foregone wild conclusions, but have merely stated that some facilities at CMC Vellore are being upgraded, which has not been denied by CMC Vellore in their letter.  

It is good that CMC Vellore have clarified that the persons from their institute who attended the meetings and related programmes with regard to CHIM trials were not representing the institute, and were attending out of their own interest and in their personal capacity.

We appreciate their clarifications and suggest that there is a need to understand why there is talk about CHIM preparations in CMC Vellore.   We hope that whatever CMC might plan in the future regarding CHIM studies will be well thought out, transparent, and with public engagement to create trust.

We regret the error in the text that CMC Vellore was involved in the development of Bharat Biotech’s typhoid vaccine and have asked for a correction on this point.

We stand by the accuracy of the rest of the report which brings before the public the issues and discussions with regard to CHIM trials in India.