Vaccine-maker Serum Institute of india (SII) has recently launched Rotasiil - Liquid, a variant of its WHO pre-qualified rotavirus vaccine, to fight diarrhoea; this is the only ready-to-use Pentavalent vaccine with G9 strain.

Originally developed based on technology from the National Institute of Health, US, Rotasiil – Liquid will be available across domestic and international markets.

Initially, 25-30 million doses per annum of the vaccine will be produced, which will be augmented to over 80 million doses. With the new formulation, SII aims to increase its marketshare to 32-35 per cent from its current 24 per cent share by volume with a 23.90 per cent growth within the first year of launch in India.

Available in a 2 ml single-dose tube, Rotasiil – Liquid can be directly administered orally.

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of SII, in a press statement said: “The new launch will propel us towards improving the health of our children and reducing hospitalisation and conditions related with diarrhoea such as malnutrition, delayed physical and mental development amongst children. It is our tryst in our national agenda of full immunisation coverage, ensuring that each child receives a chance to survive against vaccine-preventable diseases.”

As per the World Health Organisation, an estimated 2,15,000 children under five years of age die each year from vaccine-preventable rotavirus infection, globally. In India, Rotavirus Diarrhoea is among the top ten causes of child morbidity and mortality, killing around 47,100 children under five years of age.

comment COMMENT NOW