Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu launched the vaccine at a function in New Delhi. The first generation, rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac was developed under a public-private partnership with the Central government's Department of Biotechnology and other international partners.
Congratulating Bharat Biotech about its milestone achievement in delivering 100 million doses of Rotavac vaccine and launching the new generation Rotavac 5D, Venkaiah Naidu urged the media and medical professionals to create awareness about various health problems.
The Hyderabad-based company said that Rotavac is safe and effective in the prevention of rotavirus diarrhoea. It is available in single-dose, multi-dose vials, and pre-filled syringes.
"We are proud to announce the milestone of 100 million doses of Rotavac supplies, the fastest among rotavirus vaccines in the world. Building on this success, we are pleased to announce the introduction of Rotavac 5D, the lowest dose volume rotavirus vaccine in the world," said Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech.
Ella also revealed that "Bharat Biotech has invested $20 million to develop new manufacturing facilities and supporting infrastructure in its Genome Valley plant in Hyderabad, with an installed manufacturing capacity of 200 million doses per year. The project was supported in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation".
( With inputs from IANS )