Business

Bharat Biotech Unveils INR 1,500 Crore Vaccine Manufacturing Hub in Odisha

The state-of-the-art plant, which has been commissioned but awaits formal inauguration, is expected to generate over 2,000 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect employment opportunities.

• By Newsdesk
• Bhubaneswar
• Jan 21, 2025

Business

Bharat Biotech has announced the establishment of a ₹1,500 crore vaccine production facility at the Odisha Biotech Park in Bhubaneswar, marking a significant milestone in the global pharmaceutical landscape. Set up under the company's subsidiary Sapigen Biologix, the facility boasts an impressive annual capacity of producing eight billion vaccine doses and is equipped to manufacture 10 different vaccines, the company revealed on Saturday.

The state-of-the-art plant, which has been commissioned but awaits formal inauguration, is expected to generate over 2,000 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect employment opportunities. According to Dr. Raches Ella, Managing Director of Sapigen Biologix, the facility will initially focus on producing three vaccines: Hillchol (BBV131), the world’s second oral cholera vaccine; RTS,S, the first licensed malaria vaccine; and the oral polio vaccine.

Looking ahead, the facility is also set to manufacture vaccines for Chikungunya and Zika, Dr. Ella added. He emphasized the importance of launching Hillchol at this juncture, given the global shortage of oral cholera vaccines following the recent cholera outbreak in Angola.

The malaria vaccine, developed in collaboration with pharmaceutical giant GSK through a technology transfer agreement, is targeted primarily at low- and middle-income countries across Africa and Asia to combat Plasmodium falciparum malaria, a significant global health challenge.

Dr. Krishna Ella, Founder and Chairman of Bharat Biotech, highlighted the strategic importance of the new facility, describing it as a testament to the company’s commitment to affordable vaccines, global public health, and India’s self-reliance in pandemic preparedness. “This Sapigen Biologix facility underscores our dedication to strengthening India’s presence in vaccine manufacturing and advancing healthcare equity,” he stated.

Dr. Ella also noted that this is the first vaccine manufacturing plant in eastern India, bridging a geographic gap in biotech infrastructure between Hyderabad and Arunachal Pradesh. “We hope this initiative will catalyze knowledge-based industries in eastern India, which has long lagged behind the southern and western regions in this sector,” he added.

The facility recently hosted Singapore’s President, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, along with a high-level delegation comprising top ministers and business leaders from Singapore. The delegation toured the plant, which serves as the anchor facility at Odisha Biotech Park, signaling its significance on the international stage.

With this new hub, Bharat Biotech continues to reinforce its position as a leader in vaccine innovation and production, contributing to both national and global healthcare needs.