While hectic efforts are on to set up a state-of-the-art GMP facility at the Central Research Institute in Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh as part of its revival project, the status of the other two closed public sector vaccine units, PII Coonoor and BCG Lab Chennai is uncertain.

The civil work on bringing up a most modern facility at the Central Research Institute will start on January 15, and the unit will be fully operational by October next year, said K R Mani, director of the Institute.

The expert committee held in the Institute on November 30 and December 1 this year have finalized the lay-out of the upcoming establishment and held that out of the three units, CRI should start with the production at first and all the essential vaccines be made there, in a phased manner. In view of this, the unit is vigorously engaged in bringing up the required facilities at the centre.

In the meeting, apart from the scientists of the CRI, WHO representative Dr Anil Chawla, representatives from HLL Lifecare Ltd, and S Kukerji from regulatory side have attended.

“We are in the task of modernization. In the beginning we are planning to produce DPT vaccine and other items will be taken up one by one. For this, new GMP facilities as per WHO norms will be constructed and hope that all the civil work can be finished by April 2010. HLL Lifecare has been entrusted with the responsibility of constructing the GMP facilities. They will engage GMP experts from outside the country in the work. The total project will incur an expenditure of more than Rs 200 crore,” he told Pharmabiz.

CRI in Kasauli was manufacturing all kinds of vaccines like DPT, DT, DAT, ARV, Yellow Fever Vaccine, TT, TAT, JE Vaccine, Anti-D and Hepatitis-B.

The Union Health Ministry has called a meeting of the expert committee in New Delhi on December 16 and 17 for the finalization of the CRI project proposal. Members representing CRI, HLL, WHO, DCGI and GMP experts are attending the meeting.