How a scientist's return kickstarted Bharat Biotech's journey

With vaccine rollout beginning in some countries, the world ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic is looking to India for the large-scale production and supply of coronavirus vaccines as it enters 2021.

While Indian companies such as Zydus Cadila, Bharat Biotech, and Gennova developing indigenous vaccines, other domestic companies are collaborating with global companies such as Serum Institute with AstraZeneca, Dr Reddy's with Russia's Gamaleya Institute for Sputnik V, and Biological E with J&J.

Also Read | Wait for vaccine ends: Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech get DCGI nod for emergency use

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on Sunday approved Bharat Biotech's vaccine candidate Covaxin and Serum Institute of India's vaccine candidate Covishield for restricted usage in emergency situations in the country.

This, however, is not the first time for the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech to roll out an indigenous vaccine. Over the past two decades, the company has crossed many milestones by developing notable vaccines.

It all started in 1996 when a scientist quit his job in the US and returned to India to start a company dedicated to creating innovative vaccines. Dr Krishna M Ella, the founder of the company, assembled a team of scientists to launch Bharat Biotech in Genome Valley, Hyderabad.

Also Read | Approval of Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine criticised over lack of data

Within two years, the company developed the world’s first Cesium Chloride-free Hepatitis-B vaccine, Revac-B+, which was launched by APJ Abdul Kalam. It went on to become the world’s largest manufacturers of Hepatitis-B vaccines by rolling out over 100 million doses.

In 2002, the company was noticed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and given grants to develop new vaccines against Malaria and Rotavirus. Eight years after that, its vaccine ROTVAC was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here

The company also developed and launched Typbar TCV, the world’s first clinically-proven and WHO pre-qualified typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV), which can be administered to even a six-month-old.

The company has developed over 16 notable vaccines, and four bio-therapeutics registered in 116 countries. It has over 140 patents with it.

Apart from Covaxin, Bharat Biotech has also invested in two other vaccine candidates to tackle Covid-19: CoroFlu in collaboration with FluGen Inc and the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and an inactivated rabies vaccine vehicle for coronavirus proteins that it is developing with Matthias J Schnell, the director of Jefferson Vaccine Centre, Pennsylvania.