ROTAVAC®, the Bharat Biotech rotavirus vaccine has been introduced by Nigeria to immunize its children from the life-threatening diarrhoeal disease that affects millions of children worldwide.
Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), a global leader in vaccine innovation and developer of vaccines for infectious diseases, announced today its rotavirus oral vaccine which will be introduced in the immunization program could prevent more than 50000 child fatalities due to rotavirus vaccine.
Nigeria currently accounts for 14% of all childhood rotavirus deaths globally, making it the country with the second-highest number of rotavirus deaths in the world. Rotavirus infection causes about 50,000 child fatalities under the age of five each year in Nigeria.
Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech said, “Decades of research and product development have resulted in ROTAVAC®. This vaccine is now available in several countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. We are proud to state that novel vaccines from India are saving lives worldwide.”
We are committed to supporting, and reducing the infectious disease burden amongst children in the developing world, and to ensure nations like Nigeria in the African continent, have access to cost-effective world-class interventions for infants and vulnerable populations. ROTAVAC® is safe and effective at preventing diarrheal disease caused by the Rotavirus.”
Ella adds,” Bharat Biotech will continue to play its role in researching, developing, and manufacturing novel vaccines, to lower the morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases and contribute towards the achievement of universal vaccine access.
Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of diarrheal disease in the world and is responsible for over 40% of diarrhoea in children. It accounts for about 215,000 of the 525,000-under-5 mortality worldwide each year that are attributed to diarrheal diseases, making it the most common cause of severe diarrhoea.
ROTAVAC® received WHO-Prequalification in January 2018. Bharat Biotech developed the first generation, rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac under a Public-Private Partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and 16 other international partners, making it the largest ever social innovation project for public health.
Bharat Biotech is a global leader in rotavirus vaccines, with one of the largest manufacturing capacities.
ROTAVAC Vaccine Development Project : A Successful Social Innovation, Indo-USA Vaccine Action Program
ROTAVAC® was developed as a result of a multi country – multi partner collaborative model of team science for over 3 decades. This large public private social innovation partnership included the Government of India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Indian Institute of Science (IISC), the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Translational Health Sciences and Technology Institute (THSTI), the Society for Applied Studies (SAS), Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore, King Edwards Memorial Hospital (KEM) Pune, Stanford University School of Medicine, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Johns Hopkins University and PATH. The ROTAVAC® partnership has resulted in more than 20 international publications, including the pivotal phase III publication in Lancet in 2014. The project was funded by the Govt of India, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Research Council of Norway, UK DFID, and Bharat Biotech.
Bharat Biotech has established an excellent track record of innovation with more than 145 global patents, a wide product portfolio of more than 16 vaccines, 4 bio-therapeutics, registrations in more than 123 countries, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Pre-qualifications. Located in Genome Valley in Hyderabad, India, a hub for the global biotech industry, BBIL has built world-class vaccine & bio-therapeutics, research & product development, and Bio-Safety Level 3 manufacturing, and vaccine supply and distribution.
Having delivered more than 4 billion doses of vaccines worldwide, BBIL continues to lead innovation and has developed vaccines for influenza H1N1, Rotavirus, Japanese Encephalitis (JENVAC® ), Rabies, Chikungunya, Zika, Cholera, and the world’s first tetanus toxoid conjugated vaccine for Typhoid. BBIL’s commitment to global social innovation programs and the public-private partnership resulted in introducing path-breaking WHO pre-qualified vaccines such as BIOPOLIO®, ROTAVAC®, ROTAVAC® 5D, and Typbar TCV® combatting polio, rotavirus, typhoid infections, respectively.
Novel vaccines against malaria and tuberculosis are under development through global partnerships. The acquisition of Chiron Behring Vaccines has positioned BBIL as the world’s largest rabies vaccine manufacturer with Chirorab® and Indirab®.
