M
uch before
the ‘Make In
India’ program
happened
in India, the
country’s vaccines
had already started going places.
Besides being used in the national
immunization campaigns, these
shots of health found their way
across the international market
including 150 countries, making
us a leading supplier across the
globe. The major part of credit goes
first to the persistence of Indian
vaccine players who despite odds
thrived and delivered outcomes.
And of course it would have not
been possible without the support
of international health funding
agencies, followed by the sections of
policymakers.
As per various reports, India’s
vaccine market was valued
approximately $1 billion in 2015
with a robust CAGR of 25 percent
between 2011 and 2015. Exports
are the dominant revenue source
for Indian vaccine industry today,
accounting for a dominant 69
percent share in value. Therefore,
once neglected vaccine market
is now considered as a source of
steady income for bioscience sector.
India is a major supplier of vaccines
to UNICEF which in turn supplies
40 percent of the total vaccine
demand for childhood vaccination
in more than 100 countries. The
share of the private sector in the
total volume of vaccines exported
is roughly around 40 percent.
Also, more than 70 percent of all
measles vaccines used globally are
produced in India. From producing
67 prequalified vaccines (dosage
forms) by the seven vaccine
manufacturers in 2012, currently
there are 16 prequalified vaccines
by World Health Organization
(WHO) and exported through
United Nations agencies.
Spotlight on the indigenous
players
India already is a major vaccine
producer that has 12 major vaccine
manufacturing facilities. Around
70 percent of the total volume
manufactured is exported. The
major players include Shantha
Biotech, Sanofi Aventis, Biological
Evans, Bharat Biotech, Serum
Institute of India and GSK. The
rewarding vaccine market was
brought to the limelight by the
introductions of Prevnar, a vaccine
for childhood infections by Wyeth
and Gardasil, a vaccine for cervical
cancer by Merck & Co. The last
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