Close on the heels of the Centre clearing the Rs 594 -crore integrated vaccine complex (IVC) in Tamil Nadu, HLL Lifecare Limited has floated a wholly-owned subsidiary – HLL Biotech Limited – to execute the project that aims to boost the country’s vaccine security.
Phase-I of IVC, which would come up at Chengalpattu in Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu, will be completed within 36 months. With an annual capacity of 585 million doses, it will manufacture pentavalent combination (DPT) plus hep-B plus (Hib), BCG, measles, hepatitis-B, human rabies, HiB and Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccines in Phase-I.
“The total project cost of IVC is Rs 594 crore, of which Rs 28 crore has already been released. We have also started on-site preliminary works at the 100-acre area. Project office has started functioning with sufficient staff including the project officer,” said HLL chairman and managing director M Ayyappan.
The project, cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on April 26, was announced in the previous Budget, and is intended to be a milestone in bolstering the country’s vaccine security.
This is a project of national importance as it would ensure uninterrupted availability of vaccines for the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) at affordable prices. Another task of the project is to ensure vaccines in emergency situation, he added.