Vaccine makers eye Unicef market for new launches

MUMBAI: Indian vaccine makers have begun targeting the Unicef market to launch their novel vaccine molecules. Vaccine makers are looking to buy technology to develop vaccines from foreign laboratories. Companies such as Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech, Shanta Biotech, Panacea Biotech and Biological Evans have collaborated with organisations like WHO and Gates foundation to develop novel vaccines.

Unicef is the largest procurer of vaccines globally which it supplies to all third-world nations. In 2006, the top four Indian vaccine makers supplied 34.3% of Unicef���s total requirements, worth $12 million. The revenue earned by the Indian vaccine market in August 2008 was Rs 340 crore.

It made Rs 3,265 crore during 2007-08, a growth of 7% over the previous year, with the government of India (GoI) being the largest procurer and Unicef coming in next.

Serum has collaborated with WHO and PATH to work on a variety of vaccines for Aerosol Measles and Rota Virus, while Bharat Biotech has collaborated with PATH and Gates Foundation to work on vaccines for Plasmodium Vivax.