Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Wednesday, Jun 12, 2002
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Wednesday, Jun 12, 2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate
-
Announcements Shantha Bio Hepatitis B vaccine gets WHO stamp -- Bags $5-m Unicef order Our Bureau
HYDERABAD, June 11 SHANTHA Biotechnics has announced that it been awarded the World Health Organisation (WHO) certification for its Hepatitis B vaccine, Shanvac B, the country's first indigenous recombinant DNA vaccine. Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, the Shantha Bio Executive Director, Mr Khalil Ahmed, said the WHO prequalification makes the company the first and only company to be awarded such certification for Hepatitis B vaccine in the country. The certification comes at a most appropriate time for the country since the Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiation (GAVI) funded Hepatitis B immunisation programme announced by the Prime Minister, Mr A.B. Vajpayee, on Monday stressed the procurement of WHO approved vaccines by GAVI, Mr Khalil said. Close on the heels of bagging the WHO approval, Shantha Bio has bagged a major order from the Unicef for the supply of 8.5 million doses of Shanvac B. The order, worth $5 million, has to be executed during the current year. "For the first time ever, an Indian Hepatitis B vaccine will be eligible for supply to all United Nations agencies for their global Hepatitis B immunisation programmes," Mr Khalil said. Shantha Bio lost a major Hepatitis B immunisation contract last year when the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation initiated the programme in six districts of the State since no Indian company had WHO approval at that time. Stating that the Gates Foundation intends to cover six more districts in the State during this year, Mr Khalil Ahmed said the WHO prequalification paves the way for Shantha Bio to be the sole eligible supplier for India for this immunisation programme.
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
|
Stories in this Section |
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu Business Line
|