Indian Immunologicals’ COVID vaccine likely next year

Animal trials on its indigenous vaccine are underway, says the PSU

Hyderabad-based Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), the public sector unit under the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has announced that it has been working on an indigenous vaccine for COVID-19 and this is expected to come out next year into the market. IIL Managing Director K. Anand Kumar said on Friday that the currently animal trials are underway and the vaccine is likely to be available for vaccinating the people after this was completed. Incidentally, this has been one of the public sector firms identified to collaborate with Bharat Biotech to enhance production of Covaxin and production of drug subtance for making the vaccine is to be produced from June 15 onwards. The first batch would made available to the private sector vaccine maker by July. IIL’s Karkapatla manufacturing unit here is being converted into a Bio Safety Level-3 (BSL3) facility for the production of the drug substance and is also taking up construction of another block. The PSU has a technical collaboration agreement with Bharat Biotech, for supply of the drug substance required the for manufacturing Covaxin vaccine, he said.