Wockhardt Ltd is set to enter into vaccine manufacturing by developing a range of vaccines in the next few years. Vaccines that are immediately in pipeline are for rabies, chickenpox (vericella) and a combination vaccine of hepatitis B and DPT, S Nagaraj, vice-president (sales and marketing) told Pharmabiz.

There is a huge requirement of rabies vaccine in India. The market for rabies vaccine in the country is estimated to be about Rs 200 crore and the incidence of rabies is on a higher side. The vericella vaccine market in India is estimated to be in the tune of Rs 15 crore.

Nagaraj added, “The company has been focusing on the US market, being the most lucrative among all. The future initiatives will be focused on preventive medicine and biotechnology. The company’s Aurgangabad bio-pharmaceutical complex will act as base for development of bio-pharmaceuticals. The company is hoping to introduce new products at a constant pace, with its R & D investments of over five per cent every year.”

Wockhardt recently tied up with China-based Zhejiang Pukang Biotechnology Company Ltd to market a hepatitis A vaccine under the brand name ‘Biovac A’ in India. The immunogenicity and tolerability of the vaccine was confirmed in a clinical trial conducted in Indian healthy children at the KEM Hospital, Pune.

Wockhardt will be getting a first batch of 50,000 vials from China, which will be marketed in India through the company’s strong network of 23 C and F agents and 800 stockists. The marketing agreement of Wockhardt with Zhejiang also includes marketing of the vaccine in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam, sources added.

China, India, Bangladesh, Central and South America are some of the endemic countries. In India hepatitis A is not yet included in the national immunisation programme.

“The hepatitis A vaccine market in India is estimated to be over Rs 17 crore, growing at a rate of 10 per cent every year,” Nagaraj said.