Bharat Biotech gets WHO pre-qualification for its rotavirus vaccine Rotavac 5D

New Delhi: Bharat Biotech on Monday said that World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded prequalification to its rotavirus vaccine Rotavac 5D.

“Its low dose volume (0.5 mL) facilitates easy vaccine logistics, cold chain management and low biomedical waste disposal post-vaccination. It is used for the prevention of rotavirus infection, which is prevalent in infants and young children,” the pharma major said in a statement.

WHO Prequalification enables the procurement of Rotovac 5D by UN agencies namely UNICEF and PAHO. It is a validation of the global quality and safety standards required for pediatric vaccines.

WHO prequalification of Rotovac 5D is expected to fast-track global access to this life-saving vaccine.

Mrs. Suchitra Ella, Joint Managing Director, Bharat Biotech said that Rotovac and Rotovac 5D are projects conceived, innovated, and executed in India in collaboration with Indian and Global partners.

“This is the culmination of a 30 year effort to develop a novel rotavirus vaccine, resulting in a major advancement in Rotavirus disease prevention and reasserts India’s leadership in developing and introducing rotavirus vaccines for the world,” said Ella.

Bharat Biotech developed the first generation rotavirus vaccine Rotovac under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and 16 other international partners, making it the largest ever social innovation project for public health.

“In the developing world, Rotovac has been instrumental in addressing deaths due to rotavirus infection. Bharat Biotech has so far supplied more than 250 million doses of the vaccine.

UNI