Cadila swine flu shot this month
Pankaj Patel, chairman and managing director, said the company plans to sell around 2 million doses this year.
The Ahmedabad-based Cadila Healthcare Ltd (Zydus Cadila) plans to launch an H1N1 vaccine in India under the brand name VaxiFlu-S by the end of May.
Pankaj Patel, chairman and managing director, said the company plans to sell around 2 million doses this year.
The demand for H1N1 vaccine in India is expected to be around 50 to 60 million doses initially. “To begin with, we will produce around 6 million doses and by the year-end, our plan is to double the number," Patel said.
The price of the vaccine is expected to be announced at the time of the launch.
Vaxxicare, a division of the Zydus group focusing on preventives, will market the vaccine, which received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India earlier this week.
Patel said that after India, the company will start registering the vaccine in the international market.
But industry analysts say with H1N1 cases dropping significantly in the last few months, demand will not be too high.
Ranjit Kapadia, vice-president, institutional research, HDFC Securities, said there is not much demand for the vaccine currently either in India or abroad.
“The price is another factor. If it will be available at affordable prices or through the government programme, then there would be some demand.”
Bhavin Shah, research analyst, Dolat Capital Market, said the vaccine is a promising product, given that there are some instances of swine flu.
The vaccine has been developed by the group’s researchers at the Vaccine Technology Centre in Ahmedabad.
Correction, May 16, 2010: The vaccine is meant to combat swine flu. The headline has been changed accordingly.