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The largest vaccine manufacturer in the world predicts a five-year double in demand

The largest vaccine manufacturer in the world predicts a five-year double in demand


Serum Institute of India Pvt. anticipates double sales of life-saving vaccines in the next five years, including those against cervical cancer and malaria, therefore it is increasing its manufacturing capacity.


Serum Institute of India Pvt. anticipates double sales of life-saving vaccines in the next five years, including those against cervical cancer and malaria, therefore it is increasing its manufacturing capacity. 


The biggest vaccine manufacturer in the world can presently produce 3 billion doses of all vaccine kinds yearly, but it only sells around 1.5 billion doses. The Pune-based company believes things will alter. 


"Vaccines that may prevent a lot of illnesses will be greatly adopted as governments expand their health-care budgets,” said Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum, in a Bloomberg TV interview for a future Latitude with Haslinda Amin program. "It has been established that the most effective preventative measure is vaccination." 


He is especially optimistic about the future of the company's newly developed vaccinations against cervical cancer and malaria. According to him, it is capable of producing 100 million doses of each. 


The need for the malaria vaccine is gradually increasing as African nations get ready for its arrival. In May, Serum sent the first dose of the vaccine, known as "R21/Matrix-M," to Africa. As to the statement released by the business, this is the second malaria vaccination approved for children globally.  


According to him, it will take around two years for supply and demand to balance. 


Global access to vaccinations against the human papilloma virus, which may cause cervical cancer, is currently limited. The 43-year-old entrepreneur said that the HPV vaccine is "very complicated and difficult to make," meaning that only a small number of firms can produce it. 


As part of the universal vaccination program, Serum would provide the Indian government with millions of doses of the HPV vaccines, known as Cervavac, at a reduced price; however, Poonawalla is also hoping to sell it abroad.


Strains of Dengue


Additionally, it is developing vaccines to fight four types of the dengue virus and the flu viruses that may cause epidemics in certain regions.


According to Poonawalla, "there are already 14 different flu strains, so we need to be cautious about it." "It's unlikely that there will be a worldwide pandemic anytime soon, but the pandemic flu can cause a lot of damage and hospital admissions in some areas."


In order to develop and administer “a chimeric protein-based vaccine” against Meningitis-B, an illness that damages the brain and spinal cord, Serum and the University of Oxford inked a license agreement in April.


At the height of the pandemic, when nations were clamoring for more Covishield supplies, the Indian manufacturer of AstraZeneca Plc's Covid-19 vaccine faced significant challenges, including a fire at its production facility, a local ban on exports, and shortages of essential raw materials from the US. However, Poonawalla refuses to assign blame for the outbreak. 


"I think you can get ahead of the curve if we're more openness and transparency with exchanging information with one another," he said. “Many lives can be saved by you.”


"Mission 100 Days"


The vaccine company became a member of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations in January. The Coalition is an international group that includes non-profits, governments, vaccine manufacturers, and medical professionals. 


The Oslo-based organization was established in 2017 in the wake of the Ebola virus outbreak and aims to enhance vaccine research and response to epidemic threats. 


"We are working on a 100-day mission, where you can go through a vaccine candidate to production to shipping within 100 days," he added. "With CEPI, we are building up stockpiles."  

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