The Hindu Business Line : Shantha Biotech vaccine plant inaugurated

A view of the new plant belonging to Shantha Biotechnics Pvt Ltd near Hyderabad on Tuesday. The 80,000-sq ft facility was constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore. - A. Roy Chowdhury

Hyderabad , Sept. 28

THE new vaccine manufacturing facility of Shantha Biotechnics Pvt Ltd was inaugurated on Tuesday by the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Built at a cost of Rs 40 crore, the 80,000 square foot, the Good Manufacturing Practises (GMP) compliant facility, has three production suites that would enable the company produce several types of vaccines, the Managing Director, Mr Varaprasad Reddy, said.

According to him, the new facility would initially produce DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus) vaccine and these antigens would be conjugated with the Hepatitis-B vaccine to make the combination DPT-HepB vaccine. The company's R&D has successfully completed the formulation of the combination vaccine that would soon be rolled out from the new facility.

Stating that the company also plans to have a comprehensive vaccines portfolio to service the markets in the developing countries, Mr Reddy said the introduction of the first indigenously produced combination DPT-Hepatitis B vaccine would further the company's efforts in this direction.

According to him, combination vaccines were considered important as they reduce the number of injections an infant receives, thereby achieving more compliance in the immunisation of the new born. Though many countries now endorse preference to introduce combination vaccines, the combo vaccines currently being produced by a handful of multinational pharmaceutical companies were expensively priced thus making it difficult for these countries to provide such vaccines to its people at affordable prices, he said.

Stating that the company's affordable pricing strategy would lessen the burden on immunisation programmes of various governments of the underdeveloped countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, Mr Reddy presented one-lakh paediatric dosages of Hepatitis-B vaccine to the AP Chief Minister to be distributed in the latter's `Rajeev Palle Bata' programme.

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