HYDERABAD, India (Diya TV) — Bharat Biotech has launched its new oral cholera vaccine, Hillchol, in the wake of a global shortage of cholera vaccines against the backdrop of rising cases worldwide. Developed under license from Hilleman Laboratories, the vaccine just cleared a late-stage trial and received approval from India’s drug regulator. The company is now planning for a global rollout with a target production capacity of up to 200 million doses annually.
The vaccine will compete with the only existing World Health Organization-approved oral cholera vaccine from South Korea’s EuBiologics Co. Bharat Biotech wants to make up for an estimated global shortage of 40 million doses a year by offering Hillchol, intended to be effective for people over the age of one.
Bharat Biotech is now applying for WHO pre-qualification, after which it can supply Hillchol to international agencies like UNICEF, the world’s single largest buyer of cholera vaccines. Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, said that the company would target the African continent where the cholera situation happens to be really bad. If any African country wants to procure the drug substance from us and undertake final manufacturing there, we are also open to it,” Ella said.
Bharat Biotech set up production plants in Hyderabad with an annual capacity of 45 million doses. Capacity will be ramped up to 200 million doses a year when a new plant comes online in the city of Bhubaneswar over the next few months. The company has invested near $100 million in these facilities, said the source, who declined to be identified. Bharat Biotech, however, would not confirm the figure to Reuters.
The demand for oral cholera vaccines has surpassed 100 million doses annually across the world, with the current request by the WHO at 102 million doses, which is double the production amount recorded per year in the past. Bharat Biotech has its eyes on this demand with Hillchol. According to Ella, the vaccine offers a simplified production process and would, therefore, be much cheaper compared to the alternatives now at disposal. Although the exact pricing has not been disclosed, Ella assured that the vaccine would be affordable.
Hillchol is also distinguished by its novelty on two counts: it can protect against a new strain of cholera, and it is packed in a unique single-dose respule presented in mono-multidose format-one of the first such presentations. The two-dose vaccine is administered with a 14-day gap between doses.
Indeed, international collaboration played a significant role in the development of Hillchol: it was developed under license from Hilleman Laboratories funded by Merck, USA, and Wellcome Trust, UK, through collaboration with the University of Gothenburg and Gotovax AB.
This new OCV represents a major landmark in the history of cholera prevention globally,” said Jan Holmgren, considered by the industry to be the “Father of Oral Cholera Vaccines”. Holmgren pointed out that Hillchol can contribute to the Global Task Force on Cholera Control’s goal of a 90% reduction in cholera-related deaths by 2030.
Cholera remains one of the most serious public health issues, with most unfortunate conditions regarding proper sanitation after natural disasters and lack of clean water. In the first six months of 2024, WHO reported 249,793 cases of cholera and 2,137 deaths, while in the same period in 2023 it was 166,442 cases and 69 deaths.
Bharat Biotech’s new vaccine could not have come at a better time, when the global community is working towards controlling cholera outbreaks and meeting the WHO target of cholera elimination by 2030. Bharat Biotech, with the development and planned global launch of Hillchol, is all set to play an important role in solving the global cholera crisis.
