Panacea Biotec Secures $20 Million Loan for Hexavalent Vaccine Expansion
New Delhi: Panacea Biotec, a leading biotech company, has secured a long-term loan of up to $20 million from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to expand its manufacturing capacity for the hexavalent vaccine, EasySix. This expansion will enable Panacea to supply the vaccine to UN agencies for global childhood immunization.
Panacea Biotec is expanding its manufacturing capacity for drug substance antigens used in its hexavalent vaccine EasySix to meet future demand from UN agencies and public health organizations. The World Health Organization and Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization approved the adoption of this hexavalent vaccine in the global immunization program. Following this, Gavi and the Pan American Health Organization also adopted the hexavalent vaccine.
UNICEF forecasts the demand for a wP-IPV-based hexavalent vaccine for Gavi countries to be 19 million doses in 2025 and over 100 million doses by 2030. Panacea developed the world’s first whole-cell pertussis (wP) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)-based, fully liquid hexavalent (six-in-one) vaccine called EasySix. The vaccine was launched in India in March 2017 and protects children from diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), and polio.
Currently, the routine immunization involves taking pentavalent (5-in-1) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) separately. The hexavalent vaccine, which includes IPV, leads to fewer vaccination sessions and higher coverage.
Published on Sep 13, 2024 at 06:56 AM IST
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Reference : https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/pharma/pharma-industry/panacea-biotec-gets-20-million-loan-from-us-government-for-hexavalent-vaccine-capacity-expansion/113306872