BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI : Hilleman Laboratories, a global research and development organisation, on June 26, 2019, announced its

collaboration with vaccine and biotechnology company Bharat Biotech International (BBIL). The collaboration will focus on delivering high-impact and affordable vaccines and further development, manufacturing and commercialization of its next-generation Oral Cholera Vaccine, ‘Hillchol’.

The partnership will also strengthen the ability of both organisations for prevention of Cholera through rapid and cost-effective deployment of vaccine doses in low and middle-income countries.

Dr Davinder Gill, CEO, Hilleman Laboratories, told DTMT, “We hope this collaboration will provide an innovative vaccine solution which is both affordable and accessible.”

Dr Krishna Ella, CMD, Bharat Biotech International Limited, said, “We will not only solve the demand uncertainty but also aid in affordability, thereby resulting in the wider use of such a vital oral Cholera vaccine worldwide.”

Deployments of oral Cholera vaccines (OCVs) are an essential public health component of comprehensive Cholera prevention and control, recommended by the WHO.

‘Hillchol’ was designed at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and subsequently developed by Hilleman Labs including demonstration of safety and immunogenicity in an age de-escalating Phase I/II clinical trial conducted in Bangladesh.

For further development of Hillchol, the Labs has entered into a licensing and manufacturing tie up with BBIL, who will scale the manufacturing process to commercial stage and establish product specifications required for WHO prequalification.