New Sanofi vaccine facility starts commercial production

Unit will initially produce pentavalent and cholera vaccines, will be also registered for hepatitis B and tetanus shots

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine division of Sanofi, announced today that it has begun commercial manufacturing at the new vaccines' production facility of its affiliate Shantha Biotechnics Private Limited.

This new facility is located in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Muppireddypalli near Hyderabad. The company had invested Rs 250 crore on the new facility, which will initially produce the pentavalent vaccine Shan-5 and cholera vaccine Shanchol, according to Mahesh Bhalgat, executive director and chief operating officer of Shantha Biotech.

Besides these two products, the facility will also be registered for the manufacturing of hepatitis B vaccine Shanvac-B and the tetanus toxoid vaccine Shan TT, he said. The company plans to produce 10 million doses of Shan 5 out of this new plat.

Last year the Sanofi subsidiary begun construction on a Rs 460 crore insulin manufacturing facility here, which is expected to start commercial operations from next year.

Country chair and managing director-Sanofi India Limited, Shailesh Ayyangar, said;"With this dedicated site for vaccines, we are reinforcing our commitment towards 'Make in India' and disease prevention and public health in India, and also across the world. This site is a part of Rs 5,500 crore investment undertaken by Sanofi since acquisition of Shantha Biotechnics in 2009. We thank the government of Telangana for their encouragement and support in our endeavors."