India Launches Indigenously Developed Pneumococcal Vaccine

Pune-based Serum Institute of India announced India's first indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine known as Pneumosil. Over the past years, Pneumosil was developed by Serum Institute, PATH, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Pneumosil vaccine (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, adsorbed, 10 Valent) will provide effective and long-lasting protection for children against pneumococcal diseases, said Serum's press statement on December 28, 2020. The unique feature of this WHO pre-qualified PCV is its composition which is specially tailored to the prevailing serotype prevalence of S. pneumoniae in India and other regions of the world.

In his address, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan added: "It is a significant milestone for the country's public health care which will ensure that children are protected better against pneumococcal disease with an affordable and high-quality vaccine."

The launching of Pneumosil makes the Serum Institute of India the world’s third supplier of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) under the pneumococcal Advance Market Commitment and the first developing country vaccine manufacturer to access the global PCV market, said the company.