Bharat Biotech ties up with Bilthoven Biologicals for production of OPV

Vaccines and bio-therapeutics manufacturer Bharat Biotech, on April 2, announced a collaboration with the country’s largest vaccine maker Serum Institute of India’s Netherlands-based wholly-owned subsidiary Bilthoven Biologicals B.V. This collaboration is “to further strengthen the production and supply security of oral polio vaccines (OPV)”, Bharat Biotech said in a statement.

Polio or Poliomyelitis is a disability and a life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. This virus is contagious as it can spread from one person to another and can also lead to permanent paralysis.

The two biotech companies have signed the requisite agreement with which Bharat Biotech will procure drug substances for the production of oral polio vaccines from Bilthovan for supply within India and globally. Both companies will jointly obtain the regulatory approvals and licenses required to commercially manufacture OPVs in India using drug substances manufactured at Bilthoven Biologicals in the Netherlands.

On the collaboration, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, said, “Our vision is to eradicate Polio worldwide, taking a crucial step towards reducing the impact of this deadly disease on vulnerable populations.” Dr Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, said, “This collaboration between BBIL and BBio exemplifies cooperation between vaccine companies, ensuring a secure supply of oral polio vaccines and fortifies the nation’s mission to eradicate polio”.

India began administering the polio vaccines in 1978 and joined the global effort to eradicate the disease. UNICEF worked along with the Indian government since the beginning of the vaccination programme. Until the 1990s, polio was a hyper-endemic disease in the country and the government launched the Universal Immunisation Programme to combat the disease. This programme was named as ‘Pulse Polio’ campaign, which was initiated in 1995.

Following the massive polio eradication effort, in January 2011, the last case of polio was reported in West Bengal. Three years after the report of the last case, India was declared to be polio-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March 2014. CNBCTV18