H1N1 vaccine boosts Serum Institute topline

Serum Institute of India is riding high on its success of H1N1 vaccine but is facing stiff competition in the overall vaccine sector

Serum Institute of India (SII) clocked total sales revenue of an estimated 1,041 crore for FY 2010-11 with a growth of 22.47 percent as compared to 850 crore in 2009-10. The launch of its H1NI vaccine helped the company witness an increase in its revenue during the year. Competition and pricing pressure in the vaccine sector continue to drag down the company’s growth.

SII successfully launched its indigenously developed intra-nasal H1N1 vaccine under the brand name,  Nasovac. With this launch, SII became the third  manufacturer in the country to market vaccines against swine flu, the other two companies being Cadila Healthcare (VaxiFlu-S) and Sanofi Aventis (whose  vaccines were  imported by the Indian Government). Presently, the manufacturing facility of the company has a production capacity of 50 million doses of the swine flu vaccine. The company received an order from the Government of India to the tune of 10 crore vaccines.

In March 2011, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it would fund a part of SII’s clinical trial for rotavirus vaccines and pneumococcal vaccines. These vaccines will be sold globally at half the price of vaccines sold by big-wigs such as GSK and Merck. Last year, the company also  launched its EPO product into the market, thus finally setting foot in the growing recombinant therapeutics segment.

In the past, SII’s products have been supplied to international health agencies like the WHO, UNICEF, PAHO and also to more than 140 countries across the globe. Its vaccines are being used in the national immunization programs of several countries. One of them is the HIB vaccine, an indigenously manufactured  product  launched in March 2007. SII  supplied  this vaccine to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and UNICEF. The vaccine is available under the brand name, SiiHIB Pro.
 
Since its inception, SII  has invested significantly in R&D and its efforts are yielding results.  Notable successes made by the company are: pilot production of measles vaccine on human diploid cells; industrial column chromatography and affinity chromatography for separation of immunoglobulins; monitoring of quality of vaccines in the field; clinical trials of new products and clinical trial of human diploid rabies vaccine.

The company has a partnership with Syracuse University, wherein the former awarded 1.06 crore ($250,000) to a team of researchers led by Robert Doyle, to develop new oral vaccines against tetanus and rotavirus to treat a severe form of diarrhea that affects children worldwide.

SII also set up the Serum Bio Pharma Park, India’s first biotech special economic zone (SEZ), in 2006. The Park is adjoining the company’s existing manufacturing unit and is a sector-specific SEZ meant for biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms. The premises has already been prequalified by the WHO.