Indian Immunologicals is all set to intoduce cheaper pentavalent vaccine soon

vaccineCity based Indian Immunologicals (IIL) is all set to introduce its indigenously developed pentavalent vaccine which promises to slash the pentavalent vaccine cost by nearly half of the present day pricing. The IIL’s pentavalent vaccine has reached an advanced stage (phase II) of clinical trials and is expected to be launched next year.

Development of indigenous pentavalent vaccine will impact Government of India’s (GOI) universal immunisation programme, as its introduction is widely expected to cause sharp fall in costs. At present, GOI is spending close to Rs. 130 per dose on a single child for a pentavalent vaccine and once the IIL’s pentavalent vaccine is introduced, the price will go down to anywhere between Rs.60 and Rs.70.

“Lot of pharmaceutical companies in India do market pentavalent vaccines but they have developed it because they have collaborated with partners. But, IIL is the only vaccine manufacturer that has developed the pentavalent vaccine indigenously,” claimed said Deputy Managing Director, IIL, Dr. K. Anand Kumar.

A single shot of pentavalent vaccine provides protection to infants from five life threatening ailments including Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DPT), Hepatitis B and pneumonia due to Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b). Since 2011, the GOI had introduced pentavalent vaccine in a phased manner in Kerala, Karnataka, Pondicherry, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi. Between 2014 and 2015, the vaccine will be introduced in 12 more states including TS and AP.

For the past two years, IIL has been the largest supplier of DPT (Dipetheria, Pertusis and Tetanus) vaccine for GOI’s immunisation programme. “It is natural that our pentavalent vaccine will be accepted universally. At the end of the day, it’s our aim to make biotechnology affordable,” Dr. Anand Kumar said. To ramp up the production capacity of pentavalent vaccine, IIL is investing close to Rs. 150 crore in its Karkapatla facility in Medak.

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