NEW DELHI: Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) on Wednesday said that its rotavirus oral vaccine Rotavac has been introduced by Nigeria for immunization of children from the life-threatening diarrhoeal disease that affects millions of children worldwide.
Nigeria currently accounts for 14 percent of all childhood rotavirus deaths globally, making it the country with the second-highest number of rotavirus deaths in the world.
Rotavirus infection causes about 50,000 child fatalities under the age of five each year in Nigeria.
Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech said, “Decades of research and product development have resulted in ROTAVAC. This vaccine is now available in several countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. We are proud to state that novel vaccines from India are saving lives worldwide.”
“We are committed to supporting, and reducing the infectious disease burden amongst children in the developing world, and to ensure nations like Nigeria in the African continent, have access to cost-effective world-class interventions for infants and vulnerable populations. ROTAVAC is safe and effective at preventing diarrheal disease caused by the Rotavirus,” he added.
Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of diarrheal disease in the world and is responsible for over 40 percent of diarrhoea in children.
It accounts for about 215,000 of the 525,000-under-five mortality worldwide each year that are attributed to diarrheal diseases, making it the most common cause of severe diarrhoea.
ROTAVAC received WHO-Prequalification in January 2018.
Bharat Biotech developed the first generation, rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac under a Public-Private Partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and 16 other international partners, making it the largest ever social innovation project for public health.
Bharat Biotech is a global leader in rotavirus vaccines, with one of the largest manufacturing capacities.