Indian Immunologicals emerges largest producer of foot-and-mouth vaccine

The Hyderabad-based company has a capacity to deliver 360 million doses per annum

Hyderabad-based Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) has emerged as the world’s largest manufacturer of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine with a capacity to deliver 360 million doses per annum.

According to company's general manager NSN Bhargav, the second largest producer of FMD vaccine in the world is Merial of Brazil with an installed capacity of 300 million doses a year.

IIL was set up by The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in 1982 with the objective of making FMD vaccine available to farmers at an affordable price. It recently opened a new, fully automated FMD vaccine manufacturing block, which conforms to stringent regulatory norms by developed countries.

IIL stated it currently meets bulk of the requirement for the FMD Control programme in India besides exporting the vaccine to West Asia and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries.

In 1998, IIL, at the request of the Union government, had set up a facility in Ooty to manufacture rabies vaccine for use in human beings. It sells the product under the brand name ‘Abhayrab’, which is claimed to be a market leader.

Bhargav told Business Standard that IIL’s turnover, which stood at Rs 450 crore, was expected to touch Rs 600 crore in the current financial year. The company was registering an annual growth rate of over 25 per cent.