Hindustan Latex to produce vaccines

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Hindustan Latex to produce vaccines

C. Gouridasan Nair

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hindustan Latex Limited (HLL), the country’s premier

manufacturer of contraceptives and various healthcare products, is planning

foray into the vaccine sector, initially packaging and marketing vaccines

procured in bulk from other manufacturers and later going in for primary

manufacture of vaccines at the Medical Equipment Park (MediPark) that the public

sector ‘mini ratna’ is setting up at Chengalpet near Chennai. The company has

already entered into marketing agreements with a reputed manufacturer and

introduced vaccines for hepatitis B and typhoid under HLL’s brand name. In the

second phase, the company will begin primary manufacture of vaccine at the

MediPark.

Around 50 acres of land at the proposed MediPark would be set aside for the

vaccine production facility, HLL chairman and managing director M. Ayyappan told

The Hindu.

Lead developer

He said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had on Friday handed

over nearly 300 acres of land at Chengalpet, 45 km from the Chennai airport,

along the State highway connecting the NH 7 and the East Coast Road, to the HLL

for the proposed MediPark and the vaccines project.

The MediPark is envisaged as an integrated manufacturing facility of

international standards and would comprise units manufacturing medical

diagnostic devices, surgical equipment and disposables. The complex will also

house facilities for knowledge and healthcare business outsourcing services. The

HLL has been designated the lead developer for the project. The development and

management of the park would be undertaken as a public-private partnership (PPP)

initiative.

Infrastructure

HLL’s infrastructure development division is currently involved in the

establishment and upgradation of various hospitals across the country. The

upgradation of the JIPMER Hospital in Puducherry, which is already underway,

will be completed ahead of schedule. The HLL has also been awarded the work of

upgrading the Medical Colleges in Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore and Salem. The

Union government had also appointed HLL as internal consultants for setting up

of six AIIMS-like institutes in different parts of the country, he said.

HLL has been declared a ‘mini ratna’ (Category-1 PSE) by the Central government

and has been upgraded in 2006 to the status of a Schedule B Company by the

Department of Public Enterprises. HLL achieved a turnover of Rs.244 crore last

year with a profit after tax of Rs.19.50 crore. HLL’s exports totalled Rs.27

crore during 2006-07 covering 70 countries around the world.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/14/stories/2008011451852100.htm

In late November, HLL had commissioned a Rs.5.65-crore facility at Manesar in

Gurgaon for manufacturing Rapid Diagnostic Test kits for in-vitro pregnancy

tests. The company plans to initially manufacture and supply 22 million

Pregnancy Test Kits to PHCs, CHCs, taluk hospitals, district hospitals, general

hospitals and speciality hospitals in various parts of the country. HLL also has

plans to introduce in the near future other rapid diagnostic kits for the

detection of malaria, dengue fever and chikungunya. These too will be

manufactured at the production facility at Manesar.

Mr. Ayyappan said the HLL strategy was to effectively support the massive

programmes of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to provide quality

healthcare to the people, especially those residing in the rural areas and the

economically backward segments, particularly women and children. The overall

objective was to effectively bring down the infant/maternity mortality rates and

mortality due to malaria and dengue outbreak.

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