Indian Immunologicals launches its Measles and Rubella Vaccine

India, 13^th December 2023 – A branch of Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), Human Biologicals Institute (HBI) is commemorating its silver anniversary, marking 25 years since the organization’s founding in 1998. Since HBI was founded, India has become more independent, or “Atmanirbhar Bharat,” in a time when the need for locally produced vaccines is critical. As eminent physicians from across the nation gathered in the tranquil confines of Udhagamandalam (Ooty) to commemorate the 25th anniversary of HBI, IIL introduced the MebellaTM (measles and rubella) vaccination for kids.

This live attenuated MR vaccine has been developed by IIL in an exclusive partnership with Polyvac Institute, Vietnam. Through extensive human clinical trials, Mebella^TM has been proven to be safe and effective.

In 1998, HBI created the first safe vero-cell rabies vaccine in India, Abhayrab, in response to a request from the Indian government. This allowed the government to phase out the painful nerve tissue vaccination. The anti-rabies vaccination that is being sold the most globally is called Abhayrab. The HBI Abhayrab vaccination has saved millions of lives both in India and elsewhere. Following that, HBI introduced a number of childhood vaccines, including the DPT, Pentavalent, TT, Hepatitis-B, MR, and Td vaccines.

During the Covid 19 pandemic, IIL’s quest of excellence in vaccine research achieved its pinnacle. IIL answered the demand of the country and helped produce millions of doses of vaccines. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, NITI Ayog, and a number of other agencies were quite pleased with this IIL capabilities.

Speaking on this occasion, Dr K Anand Kumar, Managing Director, Indian Immunologicals, spoke about the significant contribution made by IIL to the nation, towards disease control and access to several lifesaving vaccines in its 25 years of existence. “IIL has now emerged as one of the largest suppliers of human vaccines to the UIP, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, saving many precious lives. IIL also exports quality vaccines to more than 50 countries across the globe.” During the launch of Mebella^TM (Measles and Rubella vaccine) today, he also expressed the need for control of deadly Measles and Rubella, that claims about 1,00,000 lives of children globally. He also pointed out that the company should be known for elimination, eradication of disease than the number of doses of vaccine it sells. To this extent IIL has taken up CSR activity to make Thiruvananthapuram district rabies free in a few years.

“IIL adopts modern manufacturing practices to produce quality vaccines and has adequate infrastructure to meet the national requirements. By implementing environmentally sustainable packaging for Abhayrab®, IIL saved 160 tons of plastic per annum”, added Dr Priyabrata Pattnaik, Dy. MD, IIL.