Serum backed Mylab to make and sell Covid-19 vax, working on 2-3 platforms

Partners with Shilpa Medicare to manufacture vaccines, therapeutics

Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions, a diagnostics solutions provider, is now foraying into manufacturing and marketing vaccines as a part of its forward integration plans. The firm backed by India’s leading vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII), is working on two or three technology platforms for Covid19 vaccines, and would start production at its partner Shilpa Biological’s Dharwad site in March.

Moreover, the company has plans to make therapeutics too.

Speaking to Business Standard Mylab’s MD Hasmukh Rawal said that they are now doing a viability or feasibility study to determine the scale of production, any gap analysis etc. Shilpa Biologicals is a 100 percent subsidiary of Shilpa Medicare.

Mylab plans to start by making and marketing a Covid-19 vaccine. “We are evaluating two or three technology platforms, both from Indian and foreign players. I cannot divulge finer details now. But, we plan to make the vaccine available soon in the market,” Rawal said.

Rawal added that as for therapeutics, they would be working on areas where they also have their diagnostic solutions. “We are thinking of tests as diagnostic companions. For example, we test for cancer, genetic illnesses, infectious diseases etc. We can now bring therapies for these areas as well and offer a complete solution,” Rawal explained. Mylab is primarily into making molecular diagnostic tests, and was the first Indian company to develop a test for Sars-CoV-2 RT-PCR, and also the first Indian company to launch a rapid antigen based home-test.

“Our vision is to develop a complete ecosystem around health of a patient. We want to ensure that from a provider to a patient- all should get a fair value in the system. For this to happen, the current models of care have to change and it is only possible to do with an integrated approach — from testing to treatment,” Rawal said.

The company plans to make biologic drugs too, and is currently working on a few molecules.

“We have deep expertise in R&D driven manufacturing of complex vaccines and biologicals at a scale that can serve the world. Our partnership with Mylab will help us unlock significant value in the newer market segments of preventive healthcare. Together, we aim to create products that can serve global markets and establish market leadership”, said Vinay Konaje, Managing Director of Shilpa Biologicals.

Shilpa Biologicals will utilise its integrated R&D cum manufacturing facility in Dharwad, spanning over 11 acres, to cater to these requirements. 

This collaboration will also be developing novel technologies that can enable production of vaccines and therapeutics. The first vaccine project under this long-term partnership is currently under final evaluation phase and the manufacturing is expected to start by March 2022.

In the last two years, the Pune based company has continued to launch diagnostic products in the Covid19 space. Earlier this month it launched a point of care molecular diagnostic test CoviSwift for detecting Covid19 disease that will give results in 40-minutes.

Timeline

April 2020: Partners with Serum Institute of India’s CEO Adar Poonawalla and Abhijit Pawar, Chairman of APG for scaling up production of Covid19 testing kits

April 2020: Ships first batch of Covid19 test kits

April 2020: Partners with Syngene International for raw material sourcing for Covid19 tests

July 2020: Launches Compact XL – lab in a box

July 2020: First Made-in-India antigen test kit for Covid19

May 2021: Rolls out fleet of high speed RT-PCR mobile labs

May 2021: First India made self test Rapid antigen test CoviSelf

August 2021: Partners with US based Hemex Health for point of care diagnostics

August 2021: Acquires majority stake in Sanskritech

February 2022: Launches point of care molecular test CoviSwift, for Covid-19