Leading animal health and vaccine manufacturer Indian Immunologicals (IIL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has forayed into the international market. The company has formed a subsidiary in New Zealand, Pristine Biologicals, and has set up a manufacturing facility for bovine serum.
“We started our overseas venture to strengthen our position as the largest player in the Foot-and-mouth- disease (FMD) vaccine market. We are building this facility to increase serum supplies and are investing about NZ $1 million in the facility,” KV Balasubramaniam, Managing Director, Indian Immunologicals said.
We need to look beyond our shores, although there is huge demand in the domestic market. The overseas foray will help in improving our cost-competitiveness in manufacturing of veterinary and human vaccines exported to over 50 countries in the Middle East, South America, Africa and CIS countries, he said.
On an average, the company requires over 200 tonnes of serum, one of the primary ingredients to produce vaccines. It is obtained from disease-free animals in New Zealand and Australia.
“Our foray into international markets is part of our backward integration process by which we can source serum, which is fully imported at present. Besides, we are also competitive and our strategy is to become a robust player in animal vaccines with many value-added products,” he said.
BV Mahalakshmi – Hyderabad
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