Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world by doses, announces the launch of India’s first indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine – PNEUMOSIL. It was launched in the presence of Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare on Monday. PNEUMOSIL has been developed through a collaboration spanning over a decade among Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd, PATH and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This significant milestone is aimed at improving pneumococcal conjugate vaccine affordability and enabling sustainable access for low-and middle-income countries, read a press statement.
“This is a significant milestone for the country’s public healthcare which will ensure that children are protected better against pneumococcal disease with an effective vaccine,” Dr Harsh Vardshan said at the virtual launch function on Monday. Pneumococcal disease is a significant contributor to the under-five mortality rate worldwide. Annually India witnesses an estimated 71 per cent of pneumonia deaths and 57 per cent of severe pneumonia cases. Every year, nearly 67,800 children under five years of age die from pneumococcal diseases and recognising its widespread fatality, WHO recommended the inclusion of PCV in routine childhood immunisation programmes in all countries
About the launch of Pneumosil, Serum Institute’s CEO Adar Poonawalla said: “Over the years, our constant endeavour has been to provide high-quality vaccines with regular supplies which ensures excellent immunisation coverage to children and families worldwide. With that thought, we have developed this PCV with a unique composition based on the serotype prevalence in India.” “This makes our PCV an ideal choice for protecting our children from pneumococcal disease. While the vaccine itself is of the highest quality and grade available, vaccine accessibility is of utmost importance as well, and to ensure ease of access by making it available at an affordable price. With the best PCV, we hope to bring down the mortality rate significantly while also making our country self-sufficient with a robust public health care system,” he added.
