Serum Slashes Hepatitis-B Vaccine Prices By 40%

Serum Institute of India, the country's largest vaccine producer, has announced a 40 per cent cut in the hepatitis-B vaccine prices.

The 10 ml vial, which was priced at Rs 1400 will now be available at Rs 875, while the pediatric single dose of 0.5 ml has been slashed from Rs 90 to Rs 55. With this price cut, Serum Institute is looking at a turnover of Rs 20 crore from hepatitis-B vaccine sales from the present Rs 5 crore.

The hepatitis-B vaccine is manufactured with the German recombinant technology using superior a yeast vector, Hansenula Polymorpha, which is efficacious and safe.

 

The company is also looking at the manufacture of hepatitis A-B combine vaccines at a later stage.

Though rival vaccine manufacturers like Shanta Biotech, Wockhardt and Bharat Biotech could follow suit, several players will not be able to afford a major price revision.

"If our competitors do not slash prices, our aim to rake in a revenue of Rs 20 crore from hepatitis-B will be easily achieved," Cyrus Poonawala, chairman of Serum Institute, told reporters.

At present, the Pune-based company has a 100 million doses capacity to produce hepatitis-B vaccine called GeneVac-B, while its total vaccine production capacity is over 1 billion doses.

The Rs 403 crore Serum Institute, the largest manufacturer of measles and DTP group of vaccines in the world, has begun initiatives to develop AIDS vaccine at its unit in Pune. "It is too premature to disclose details. Our research team has started some works to develop AIDS vaccines," Poonawala said.

Around 90 per cent of its turnover comes from vaccine sales, while the balance 10 per cent accounts for marketing of health equipment for treatment of infertility, growth deficiency and other immunological disorders like multiple sclerosis.

The company is not planning any major diversification at this point of time as it wants to focus more on the vaccine market.