"IIL Is The Largest Contributor To India's Self-Sufficiency In Vaccines"

Dr. K. Anand Kumar, Managing Director, Indian Immunologicals (IIL) shares the vision, journey, and IIL's metamorphosis from being a vaccine maker for single species to addressing the vaccine needs of multiple species including humans.

- 

Tell us something about the genesis and mandate of IIL?

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) realized very early that diseases among livestock had to be controlled in order to increase milk production in the country. Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) causes highest economic burden on farmers and IIL was created to produce a vaccine to address the same. The price of the FMD vaccine in 1982 sold by an MNC was ₹14 a dose. The price was unaffordable for the farmers, and hence it was the desire of NDDB to manufacture high quality vaccines locally. IIL was created to support self reliance of the nation in the field of vaccines. The challenge was in acquiring technology to produce FMD vaccine at scale that would meet the country's requirement. However, with a lot of efforts, NDDB was able to collaborate and acquire the technology from Wellcome Foundation, UK. IIL established the BSL 3 vaccine manufacturing facility in Hyderabad and was able to produce and supply FMD at a very affordable price of ₹3.50 per dose.

Buoyed by the success, IIL through its R&D efforts developed many vaccines addressing multiple species.

At a request from Government of India, IIL entered into the human vaccine space by developing India's first Vero cell based anti-rabies vaccine. This was a game-changing moment. IIL is now the World's largest manufacturer of anti-rabies vaccine. Subsequently, many human vaccines were developed by IIL contributing to the health security of the nation.

How long did this journey take?

The journey started in 1982, and, in these 43 years IIL has saved millions of lives every year and also saved several thousand crores to the exchequer.