Impetus for immunization

The Serum Institute of India (SII)’s new vaccine production facility, set up at Manjri in Poona at a cost of Rs 3,000 crores and formally inaugurated on September 9, 2019, began functioning in November.
Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of SII and president of the Indian Vaccine Manufacturers Association (IVMA), told Parsiana, "It has been SII’s constant endeavor to work towards building a robust public health system for our country and foster full immunization coverage for the rest of the world. The new production facility is one such initiative through which we want to further accelerate our goal to provide life-saving vaccines.”

Already the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer in terms of number of doses produced and sold globally, SII’s new multifunctional facility — the largest in the world — will further boost the company’s output, taking it a step closer to achieving its goal of capturing an additional 10 to 15% share of the international market. SII’s current market share by volume is around 60%. With the addition of new vaccines and the enhanced production facility, SII seeks to increase its market share to 70%.
With its state-of-the-art equipment, the facility’s focus will be as much on quality as on quantity. At the inauguration of the new plant, Poonawalla said, "Better health care and immunization cover for children across the world is a cause that is very close to my heart. The new plant, with its enhanced production capacity, is a step in that direction. Both in the Indian and international markets, SII aims to provide necessary vaccine cover with ease of access and at affordable prices. As an organization, our goal is to effectively utilize our resources to provide the best preventive healthcare solutions to the global population.”
Dr Harsh Vardhan, union minister for health and family welfare, science and technology, and earth sciences, who inaugurated the facility, stated, "It is our prerogative to ensure that the Indian population has a healthy life, and for that vision, we have worked on several campaigns. Initiatives like the SII’s new plant at Manjri will help us ensure that we have the ease of access to and availability of vaccines and immunization to meet the needs of the Indian people.”
The Manjri facility will create an estimated 3,000 jobs over the next five years. The target is to produce half a billion doses of vaccines annually, catering to more than 150 countries across the European and American continents in compliance with their respective vaccine manufacturing regulations. The new plant will maximize the production of vaccines such as HPV (human papilloma virus), and TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis). The facility will also produce monoclonal antibodies such as Trastuzumab (Herceptin), used in the treatment of breast cancer, and Ustekinumab (Stelara®), used to treat psoriasis and digestive ailments.
Recognized as India’s number one biotechnology company, SII is currently leading the Swasth Immunised India campaign, a pan-India initiative to spread awareness of the importance of immunization (see "Immunization initiative,” Parsiana, June 21-July 6, 2019). The campaign also addresses the need to accept and administer necessary vaccinations to prevent fatal diseases among children and expectant mothers.
As president of the IVMA, Poonawalla has relentlessly attempted to address and rectify the redundant processes, lack of infrastructure and other major challenges that hold India back from becoming a fully immunized nation. The association works towards bringing meaningful reforms in the country and enabling a smoother functioning ecosystem by working closely with the relevant stakeholders and government bodies. The key areas that the association will look into are lack of adequate storage facilities for the vaccines and proper modes of transportation, among others.