Indian Immunologicals' bovine serum facility in New Zealand starts operation

The Hyderabad-based biologicals company Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the largest seller of the foot and mouth disease vaccine, opened its new bovine serum manufacturing facility in New Zealand on November 2, 2015.
 
The company has set up the 300-tonne capacity bovine serum manufacturing plant in New Zealand with an investment of $ 1 million through its subsidiary Pristine Biologicals (NZ) Limited. The plant would take care of the entire quantity of bovine serum required by the company for making animal vaccines at its facilities in India.
 
Indian Immunologicals is one of the major importers of this critical raw material (bovine serum) as the company is one of India's top veterinary biological players. IIL requires about 200 tonnes of serum, a primary requisite to produce the vaccine, and is entirely procured from New Zealand and Australia since these are the two main countries, which are free of animal diseases listed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
 
“The objective of the investment in the New Zealand facility was to gain control over the supplies of a key ingredient used in vaccine manufacture,” said IIL in a press release.
 
At the new plant, bovine blood will be collected only from EU and USDA-approved abattoirs in closed-method under hygienic conditions. The plant will produce key products like new-born calf serum, adult bovine serum (NZ origin) and bulk bovine haemoglobin (NZ origin) for biopharmaceutical, research and diagnostic purpose, added the release.