Hindustan Latex Ltd, renamed as HLL Lifecare Ltd, is all set to become a multi-faceted health care major with the commissioning of its Rs.900 crore vaccine complex and medical park near Chennai.

With that, the public sector undertaking will transform itself from a global leader in condom manufacturing to a major healthcare institution of international standing according to E A Subrahmanian, general manager (projects), HLL Lifecare.

In an online chat with Pharmabiz, Subrahmanian asserted that the company was poised to realize its project of 430-acre vaccine complex and medical park. The company has already taken physical possession of the land at the site. As per the project, HLL Lifecare will establish a 100-acre Vaccine complex and a 330-acre medi-park at the site.

"We have already established a laboratory for the vaccine complex and have begun recruitments, with the target of producing vaccines at the complex by 2012. The vaccine complex will focus on value-added vaccines besides manufacturing the entire spectrum of vaccines for the central government's universal immunization program covering BCG, DPT, DT and TT vaccines," he stated.

HLL Lifecare had initiated work on the vaccine project in 2006, beginning with an Ernst and Young project on the vaccine market, and having Copenhagen-based NNE Pharma as consultant for the project.

Regarding the closure of the three public sector vaccine units, he said the three units were not able to meet the Schedule M norms prescribed in the Drugs & Cosmetics Act. He said the reason for halting the production of essential vaccines was not only the lack of compliance of WHO-GMP standards but the inability of the units to satisfy the requirements of the country. HLL had decided to enter into vaccine business even before the three units were closed. Subramanian also pointed out that in value terms, only 15.4 per cent of the UIP vaccines were being supplied by the closed three PSUs.

In January last year when the DCGI M Venkateswarlu issued an order to stop production of vaccines in these units, he had attributed non-compliance of GMP norms, prescribed by WHO, as the main reason for the hard decision of the ministry.

HLL Lifecare's revelations come in the wake of the Union Ministry's plan to revive the units following the intervention of the office of the prime minister and a notice of inquiry by the Supreme Court of India.

He said funding for the project is likely to be finalized within a month, and the complex is expected to be operating to full capacity in five years. The consultants have projected a sales turnover of Rs 1,152 crore and a profit after tax of Rs 226 crore in the fifth year of operations.

He remarked that while the vaccine park would be utilized entirely by HLL Lifecare, the medi-park may have other companies also establishing their own facilities.