Dr. Rino Rappuoli - Vice President Vaccines Research, John Lambert - President, Chiron Vaccines, Dr. Kevin Bryett - Vice president - Commercial Operations, speaking at a press conference in Mumbai 

California-based Chiron Corporation has formally announced its plans of making India a regional hub for sourcing its vaccines. The low cost high expertise situation of the country is sending a new signal that the Indian base of the company is equally important as its bases in US and Europe. After holding its board meeting in India this week, this is what John Lambert, the president of Chiron Vaccines had to say - "It is for the first time in its history that Chiron Vaccines has held its board meeting outside US and Europe. This explains our seriousness of this market," said Lambert. The company has got its manufacturing plant in Ankleshwar. 

Chiron has major plans of sourcing anti-Rabies vaccine from India to the countries in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. "We will be sourcing anti-Rabies vaccine in a major way from our Ankleshwar plant to many of the countries in these continents in the near future," said Dr. Kevin Bryett, Vice President, commercial operations. In fact, Ankleshwar and Germany are the only plants, which manufacture anti-Rabies vaccine for Chiron. 

Currently, the Ankleshwar plant only manufactures anti-Rabies and anti-Polio vaccines in the country. The anti-Rabies vaccine called Rabipur is marketed by Aventis for Chiron. Panacea Biotech markets the anti-Polio vaccine for Chiron.

The company in future has plans also to introduce innovative vaccines for Meningitis and Influenza. "Most of these vaccines are currently being marketed in some of the niche markets of the world. As and when we feel the time is right we will introduce it in India," said Dr. Bryett. The company is also a regular supplier of its vaccines to organisations like WHO, UNICEF and GAVI. About 40 per cent of the polio vaccines in the WHO stable are supplied by Chiron.