The Hyderabad-based Transgene Biotek is working on various human vaccines such as Meningococcal meningitis, conjugate vaccines and a Hep A + Hep B combination vaccine. These vaccines will mostly be supplied to the WHO, UNICEF and the third world countries.

Dr K Koteswara Rao, chairman and managing director of Transgene told Pharmabiz that the company has completed Phase III trials in Africa for its meningococcal meningitis vaccine. According to the WHO, the African continent itself requires 500 million doses of meningitis vaccine per year.

The company with its keen interest in developing new drug delivery systems is working on pegylation of erythropoietin and interferon. It has also forayed into diagnostics services and it has already set up four diagnostic centres.

In the oncology segment, the company is working on multiple myeloma and oesophageal cancer. It has initiated clinical trials on multiple myeloma in Italy. It has also initiated research on gene silencing and in five years developments can be seen in the area of HIV and HCV.

He informed that the company has developed technology for Sero Group B Vaccine. The vaccine will be launched in 2006. The vaccine will be manufactured in a WHO approved facility in Brazil.

Transgene has recently developed an oral delivery platforms for insulin and hepatitis B vaccine, in collaboration with the Pharmacology Division of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad. The company is currently negotiating with a company to out-license this technology, he said.

The company is upgrading its existing manufacturing infrastructure and expects to obtain WHO GMP and USFDA approvals by end of 2007, thus boosting its efforts to roll out new products.