Serum Institute inaugurates new plant in Pune, to commence regular production from Nov

Serum Institute of India (SII) on Monday inaugurated new production facility, which has come up at an investment of Rs 3,000 crore in Pune.

The new plant, which spreads across 2 million square feet, would produce half a billion doses annually and, cater to 150 countries across the European and American continents.

The manufacturing facility will commence its production from November this year and aims to provide jobs to over 3,000 people over the next five years.

It will help the company in maximising the production of vaccines such as HPV and TDAP in addition to Thermostable Rotasiil along with monoclonal antibodies like Trastuzumab (Herceptin) and Ustekinumab (Stelara).

"Better healthcare and immunisation cover for children across the world is a cause that is very close to my heart, and the new plant, with enhanced production capacity, is a step towards the same direction," SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said in a statement.

Both in the Indian and international markets, SII aims to provide necessary vaccine cover with ease of access and at affordable prices, he added.

The plant was inaugurated by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

It is our prerogative to ensure that the Indian population has a healthy life, and for that vision, we have worked on several campaigns. Initiatives like Serum Institute of India's new plant at Manjri will help us ensure that we have the ease of access and availability to fulfil the needs of the Indian people," Vardhan said.

SII is the world's largest producer of measles and DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccines.