Bharat Biotech to sell Rotavirus diarrhoea vaccine at $1

Bharat Biotech, a city-based biotechnology company today set the price of its indigenously developed Rotavirus diarrhoea vaccine, Rotavac at $1.

The vaccine will be sold to global public markets, Governments worldwide including UN procurement agencies at a price of $1, according to Bharat Biotech.

The new vaccine will help prevent part of five-lakh child deaths each year caused due to rotavirus diarrhoea and improve access to better, affordable rotavirus vaccines, the company said in a statement.

The company is expecting an India license for its vaccine in 2014 and WHO pre-qualification in 2015 for supply to UN agencies. The vaccine is currently undergoing Phase III clinical development for safety and efficacy in 8000 subjects, one of the largest such clinical trial ever conducted in India.

According to Centre for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, rotavirus causes approximately 3,52,000-5,92,000 deaths each year (median-4,40,000 deaths) in children below five years of age.

Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director Bharat Biotech said, "Offering rotavirus vaccines at $1 price is a reaffirmation of our commitment to make vaccines affordable globally. It is a great effort, by the Bharat Biotech team which made this a possibility. I am thankful to our technical and commercial teams for a decade of diligent efforts in delivering a world class product."

"The key to our success of bringing down cost of vaccine is our novel concepts in vaccine development and innovative manufacturing processes with Public Health in mind," Ella said.

Bharat Biotech's rotavirus vaccine development project is a public-private partnership project between the company and the Dept of Biotechnology Govt of India, Gates Foundation and other national and international agencies.

Bharat Biotech has an installed capacity of 300 million doses and is well positioned to manufacture and supply Rotavac to UNICEF, PAHO, and for national immunisation programs, the company said.