Shantha Bio opens Rs 40cr vaccine facility in Hyd

New facility to introduce first indigenously made combo vaccine

City-based Shantha Biotechnics Private Limited today unveiled its state-of-the-art vaccine manufacturing facility. The facility, which was inaugurated by chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, will introduce the first indigenously produced combination vaccine "� DTP-HepB.

Built at a cost of Rs 40 crore, the 80,000 sq ft facility has three production plants to manufacture seven types of vaccines.

It will produce the DTP (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus) vaccines initially and later foray into the production of combination vaccines. The facility has an installed capacity of 300 million doses.

Addressing a meeting on the occasion, Varaprasad Reddy, managing director of Shantha Biotechnics, said that the R&D team of Shantha had successfully completed the formulation of the combo vaccine that would soon roll out from the new facility.

The antigens produced at the facility would be conjugated with the Hepatitis B vaccine to make a combination DTP-HepB vaccine, he said. The company is aiming to become the largest supplier of the Hepatitis-B vaccine to the UN agencies worldwide.

"The introduction of the first indigenously produced combination DTP-HepB vaccine from the new facility, which complies with the GMP (good manufacturing practices) norms, would further help the initiatives of the company to develop affordable healthcare products," Varaprasad Reddy said.

Combination vaccines are increasingly gaining importance as they reduce the number of injections an infant receives, thereby leading to more immunisation of the newborn, he said.

The combination vaccines, which are currently produced by a handful of MNC pharma companies, are quite expensive. The indigenisation of their production would bring down their costs considerably, he said.

"Shantha's affordable pricing strategy will lessen the immunisation expenditure to the various governments of the under-developed and the developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, where Shantha already supplies its Hepatitis B vaccines," he added.

Shantha Biotechnics announced that it would supply one-lakh Hepatitis-B vaccines free of cost to the Andhra Pradesh government for its universal immunisation programme in the state.

It pioneered the development of a recombinant DNA-based human healthcare product for Hepatitis B "� Shanvac "� in the country. It also developed a recombinant human Interferon Alpha 2b.

It is currently gearing up to launch major biogenerics like erythropoietin and streptokinase, therapeutic anti-bodies for lung carcinoma, melanoma and cardiovascular diseases.

Commending the R&D efforts of the company, the chief minister said that the government would render all support to the companies in their efforts to deliver affordable medicines to the people.