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Follow UsHyderabad: Shantha Biotechnics Ltd, a biotech healthcare products company, today announced the availability of its four-in-one vaccine-Shantetra.
The vaccine protects children against four life-threatening infections including Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis and Hepatitis B.
Varaprasad Reddy, MD, Shantha Biotech said, "The trend is towards combination vaccines as they give immense advantages including reduction of administration costs and the risk of reaction on vaccines."
Kapil Sibal, union minister for science and technology in Hyderabad, would formally launch Shantetra tomorrow.
Shantha Biotech also takes the credit of being the first company to indigenously develop the combination vaccine in India. Globally, companies such as GSK and Chiron are the only two companies offering this combination vaccine. While these are priced at around Rs 225 per single dose currently, Shantha Biotech plans to price it at around Rs 80 in next two weeks.
"We are studying the market dynamics and will be deciding the price soon. And in India, DTP vaccine is available freely in all government dispensaries. Considering all these factors, and depending on the markets, the price would be determined," Reddy said.
The company has also approached World Health Organization (WHO) for certification to comply with international standards and market outside India. Khalil Ahmed, executive director, Shantha Biotech said, "Certification from WHO is a kind of standard that is acceptable by international agencies to procure doses from us. We have initiated the process and by the end of 2005, we are hoping to be certified by WHO."
According to the company, the market size for this combination vaccine is around 300 million doses a year. "As per UNICEF, there are around 130 million children requiring this vaccine and as we attain WHO certification, we are targeting to address the needs of atleast 70 to 80 million children," informed Reddy.
The company plans to tap overseas markets like Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America and Europe.