Cheaper oral cholera vaccine to be made by BE with IVI collaboration

HYDERABAD: The International Vaccine Institute (IVI), in Seoul, South with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health, on Wednesday announced that it had commenced a technology transfer of simplified ,Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV-S) to Biological E. Limited (BE), a Hyderabad based vaccines and pharmaceutical company.

Following the signing of a technology license agreement in November of last year, IVI began providing the technical information, know-how, and materials to produce OCV-S at BE facilities and would continue to support necessary clinical development and regulatory approvals. IVI and BE entered this partnership during an unprecedented surge of cholera outbreaks worldwide and aim to increase the volume of low-cost cholera vaccines in India as well as the global public market.

IVI would complete the technology transfer by 2025 and the oral cholera vaccine would be manufactured for India and international markets by Biological E. Limited.

Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, said: “In an era of heightened risk of poverty-associated infectious diseases such as cholera, the world needs a sustainable source of high-quality, affordable vaccines and committed manufacturers to supply them.”

“Our efforts are aimed to not only combat the disease but to also be part of a sustained legacy of innovation, collaboration, and health stewardship. Together with IVI, we are happy to be shaping a healthier and more resilient future by making this vaccine accessible globally,” Mahima Datla, Managing Director, Biological E. Limited, said.

OCV-S a simplified formulation of OCV with the potential to lower production costs would ensure the supply of OCV, improve cholera vaccines, and support OCV use and introduction. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which was supporting IVI’s cholera program since 2000 was funding this latest technology transfer to BE.