Indian Immunologicals Bags Govt. Order to Supply 5-in-1 Vaccine

Hyderabad-based Indian Immuno-logicals Ltd. (IIL) has bagged a Rs. 210-crore order from the government to supply 140 million doses of the 5-in-1 pentavalent vaccine that it has developed indigenously.

IIL, a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), launched Vaxtar 5, its pentavalent vaccine for children a couple of months ago.

The company bagged the order against stiff competition and pipped Serum Institute of Pune. IIL will supply over the next two years for the government’s universal immunisation programme, said Mr. K. Anand Kumar, IIL’s Managing Director.

Developed with the company’s research and development expertise, the vaccine it will be made at the IIL’s facility in Hyderabad for the retail market as well as the Health Ministry’s immunisation programme. Vaxtar 5, which offers protection against Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and HiB, has been tested in multiple centres under prescribed government guidelines. The vaccine is available in single and multi-dose formulations.

The Ministry, which had introduced the pentavalent vaccine four years ago into the Universal Immunisation Programme that aims to cover maximum number of children with all the essential vaccines, procures 85-90 million doses annually, and is in the process of scaling up use across the country. This is the first big contract after obtaining the production licence for IIL, which is a leading producer of animal health vaccines, and has diversified its portfolio into human vaccines as well. The company has five manufacturing plants – four in India and one in New Zealand.