New Delhi: Panacea Biotec on Thursday said the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), has agreed to provide the company with a long-term loan of up to $20 million for capacity-expansion of its hexavalent vaccine.
DFC financing will enable Panacea to rapidly complete ongoing expansion and supply United Nations (UN) agencies with the hexavalent vaccine for childhood immunization globally.
Panacea Biotech Manufacturing capacity for the drug substance antigens used in its hexavalent vaccine EasySix is ​​expanding to meet future demand from UN agencies and public health organizations.
The World Health Organization and the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization have approved the adoption of this hexavalent vaccine in the global immunization program. After this, GAVI and the Pan American Health Organization also adopted the hexavalent vaccine. UNICEF predicts that the demand for wP-IPV-based hexavalent vaccine for developing countries will exceed 19 million doses in 2025 and 100 million doses by 2030.
Panacea has developed the world’s first whole-cell pertussis (wP) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)-based, fully liquid hexavalent (six-in-one) vaccine called EasySix. The vaccine was launched in India in March 2017. This vaccine protects children against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) which causes pneumonia and meningitis, and polio.
Currently, routine vaccination consists of separate administration of pentavalent (5-in-1) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), with hexavalent containing IPV leading to fewer vaccination sessions and higher coverage.
