Biological E to invest ₹1,800 crore in Hyderabad to expand vaccine manufacturing capacity.

Biological E will invest over ₹1,800 crore for expanding manufacturing capacity of vaccines along with generic Injectables and Research and Development (R&D). The proposed investment would result in creation of employment for more than 2,500 in its three facilities in Genome Valley.

Hyderabad-based Biological E, which is also the manufacturer of Covid-19 vaccine, Corbevax, has announced its investment plans at a meeting of its top management team with KT Rama Rao, Minister for Industries, Government of Telangana, recently. 

The investment will be used for manufacturing of Janssen Covid vaccine, MR vaccine, PCV vaccine, typhoid vaccine, Covid vaccine, Tetanus Toxide Ampoules, IPV vaccine and Pertussis vaccine, biological APIs and formulations, speciality Generic Injectables and R&D, according to a release. 

Hyderabad, which is regarded as the “vaccine capital of the world”, accounts for a third of global vaccine production with a capacity of about 9 billion doses per annum. The investment from Biological E will enhance the capacity by 5 billion doses increasing the cumulative capacity to about 14 billion doses each year, further consolidating the leadership of Hyderabad in vaccines.

Biological E. Limited (BE) commenced its operations in 1953 as a biological products company manufacturing liver extracts and anti-coagulants. It is the first private sector biological products company in India and the first pharmaceutical company in Southern India. 

Currently, BE has four strategic business units: Branded Formulations, Speciality Generic Injectables, Synthetic Biology and Vaccines and Biologics in Telangana with six manufacturing facilities and creating direct employment for more than 5,000 people.

BE had earlier secured funding from US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to the tune of $50 million to expand capacity to produce Covid-19 vaccines, the release added. 

HBL