Hyderabad, Oct 27 (IANS) City-based vaccines and biotherapeutics manufacturer Bharat Biotech expects to more than double sales of its anti-rabies vaccine, INDIRAB(r),in two years to touch 20 million doses.
INDIRAB sales crossed the 10-million-dose mark in a period of three years. With increase in demand for its vaccine from public health organisations, health ministries from India as well as over 30 countries, tthe company expects the sales to soar further.

The company in a statement aid it currently has an annual capacity to produce eight million doses.

“We believe that our third-generation rabies vero cell based vaccine, produced using chromatographically purified manufacturing process, offers not just lower costs but also a highly purified vaccine with minimal side effects,” said Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director of Bharat Biotech.

The company continues to make new investments to expand its production facilities at its Hyderabad plant to meet the

rising demand for rabies vaccine both in the domestic and international markets.

INDIRAB(r) is one of the first chromatographically purified vero cell rabies vaccine in the world.

It was developed from virus strains obtained from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. It is free from inapparent viruses and adventitious agents capable of causing tumors.

The global market for anti-rabies vaccine is estimated at over 50 million doses, annually.

According to data available with the World Health Organisation, worldwide nearly 55,000 people succumb to rabies, mostly caused by dog bites. India accounts for 35 percent of deaths due to rabies.