What are your notable achievements this year?
For Bharat Biotech, 2022 was a highly momentous year. We manufactured over 600 million doses of covid-19 vaccine Covaxin and developed the intranasal covid vaccine iNCOVACC, which has been approved for ‘restricted use under emergency’ situations. Clinical trials were also conducted for a cholera vaccine.
What are the plans for next year?
Bharat Biotech is an innovation-driven vaccine manufacturer pursuing R&D continuously. As of 2023, variant-specific vaccines will be developed using the inactivated vaccine and the intranasal delivery platforms. We have several ongoing projects in the pipeline, including vaccines for chikungunya, zika, covid-19 variants, cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, etc. Our current and future products are part of several Indian and global partnerships.
What motivated you to develop the nasal vaccine, iNCOVACC? When will it be available, and at what price?
While market demand is one of the criteria for vaccine development, for us at Bharat Biotech, our criteria are infectious diseases and our expertise in developing vaccines for the same. As far as iNCOVACC is concerned, it has received significant market interest. It is scheduled to be introduced in the country as a booster dose shortly. As a needleless vaccine, iNCOVACC will be India’s first such booster dose. India will now have more options when it comes to third doses or precautionary doses. There will be a decision on the price of the vaccine soon, and it will be available to the public.
What lessons did you take away from the pandemic?
The covid pandemic has resulted in a treasure trove of learning for the vaccine industry. Specifically, it has exposed the gaps in research and development, product development, and manufacturing capabilities in vaccines. While several vaccine companies exist globally, relatively few of them are able to contribute towards the development of novel vaccines or large-scale supplies.
How are you prepared to deal with future infectious diseases?
Bharat Biotech is well-placed to deal with future pandemics and infectious diseases. The company has established several vaccine manufacturing platforms, such as inactivated, intranasal vaccines, flu virus, bacterial, r-yeast, etc., and that can be leveraged to develop novel vaccines during public health emergencies.
Can you tell us about your expansion plans?
In addition to our large-scale facility in Genome Valley based in Hyderabad, Bharat Biotech and our group companies have already invested in additional manufacturing capacities in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
