Pune: Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world by doses, launched India’s first indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine PNEUMOSIL in the presence of Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare on Monday (December 28).
PNEUMOSIL has been developed through a collaboration spanning over a decade among Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd, PATH and Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. This significant milestone is aimed at improving pneumococcal conjugate vaccine affordability and enabling sustainable access for low- and middle-income countries.
Driven by the philanthropic commitment of SII to protect every family with affordable vaccines, PNEUMOSIL comes with the advantage of presence of stereotypes 6A and 19A. The composition of the WHO prequalified vaccine is specially tailored as per the prevalence of the Top 10 serotypes of S. pneumoniae in India and other regions of the world, which is the unique feature of this conjugate vaccine. The vaccine will provide effective and long-lasting protection for children against pneumococcal diseases.
With this, SII further cements its position as the leader in the conjugate vaccines. It has several patents related to the manufacturing of this vaccine to its credit. This makes PNEUMOSIL relatively cost-efficient at high-volumes and more accessible over the long term for the countries that need it most.
Speaking about the launch, Dr Harsh Vardhan said, “It is a great moment of pride to witness Serum Institute take forward the ‘Make in India’ legacy, with the launch of India’s first indigenously developed Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine. It is a significant milestone for the country’s public health care which will ensure that children are protected better against Pneumococcal disease with an affordable and high-quality vaccine. I am sure, Serum Institute of India will continue their endeavour to develop many more life saving vaccines in future also on the lines of clarion call of our Prime Minister ‘Vocal for Local’ and fulfil our Prime Minister’s dream ‘ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT’”.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India said, “Over the years our constant endeavour has been to provide high quality vaccines with regular supplies which ensures excellent immunization coverage to children and families worldwide. With that thought we have developed this PCV with a unique composition based on the serotype prevalence in India. This makes our PCV an ideal choice for protecting our children from pneumococcal disease. While the vaccine itself is of the highest quality and grade available, vaccine accessibility is of utmost importance as well, and to ensure ease of access by making it available at an affordable price. With the best PCV, we hope to bring down the mortality rate significantly while also making our country self-sufficient with a robust public health care system.”
Pneumococcal disease is a significant contributor to the under-five mortality rate worldwide. Annually, India witnesses an estimated 71 per cent of pneumonia deaths and 57 per cent of severe pneumonia cases. Every year nearly 67,800 children under 5 years of age die India from pneumococcal diseases in 2018, recognizing its widespread fatality, WHO recommends the inclusion of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) in routine childhood immunization programs in all countries. Following this, Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccines (PCV) work directly to reduce the incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia by preventing Streptococcus pneumonia.
The vaccine makes the Serum Institute of India the world’s third supplier of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) under the pneumococcal Advance Market Commitment (AMC), and the first developing country vaccine manufacturer to access the global PCV market.