Date:29/01/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/01/29/stories/2005012902391100.htm

Back Serum Institute to launch combo vaccine for 4 diseases

Sankar Radhakrishnan

Thiruvananthapuram , Jan. 28

THE Pune-based Serum Institute of India Ltd will soon launch a combination vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and Hepatitis-B.

The company expects to launch this product by March this year, making it the first Indian company to develop a quadruple vaccine, Mr S.S. Chandrababu, Director-Sales, Serum Institute of India Ltd, has said.

The company is also working on developing a vaccine that targets five diseases, he added.

An important research focus for the company is the development of heat-stable vaccines that are not very dependent on a `cold chain', he said. Such vaccines will be extremely useful for countries such as India that have a tropical climate, he added.

Part of the Rs 1,400-crore Poonawalla group, the company had a turnover of approximately Rs 555 crore in the last financial year, Mr Chandrababu said. Almost 60 per cent of the company's turnover came from its exports to over 130 countries, he added.

Serum Institute of India Ltd has also decided to offer its products to non-governmental organisations and other voluntary bodies working in the tsunami-affected parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Mr Chandrababu said.

The company's products will be available to these organisations at a discount of 70 per cent on the original price, he added. Organisations that wish to procure vaccines through this scheme can contact the company's offices in Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram.

The company, which is the largest manufacturer of vaccines in India, is looking at producing 75 per cent of the vaccines administered to newly born children across the world, said Mr Chandrababu. It hopes to achieve this target in two years, he added.