Cipla Links With Serum Institute Of India To Market Pediatric Vaccines In EU

Indian pharmaceutical firm Cipla announced that its subsidiary Cipla Europe NV has entered into agreement with Serum Institute of India (SII) to distribute pediatric vaccines in the EU.

Under the terms of the agreement, SII will be responsible for developing and manufacturing pediatric vaccines, while Cipla will take the lead in seeking marketing authorization for the products from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The vaccines will be manufactured in Serum’s site and facilities. No financial terms of the agreement were disclosed by either company.

Mr. Subhanu Saxena, Global CEO of Cipla Limited, said, “We are proud to have entered into a strategic Europe-specific partnership with Serum Institute of India. This collaboration is aligned with our commitment to access to affordable pediatric healthcare…Through this partnership, we look forward to contributing to the eradication of childhood diseases.”

Mr. Adar Poonawalla, CEO and executive director of SII, said, “Serum Institute believes that this tie-up with Cipla is a perfect platform for making vaccines available for Europeans… we feel this will be a good partnership.” SII is currently the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer in terms of doses produced and supplied. The company manufactures a range of vaccines, which include measles, mumps, meningitis A, diphtheria, tetanus, flu, and polio vaccines.

Cipla added that it sees vaccines as a critical offering to patients in the EU. Livemint reports that Cipla has gradually been expanding its presence in the EU with the launch of respiratory products, such as Salmeterol/Fluticasone, in Germany and Sweden, among other countries. The new collaboration with SII will allow Cipla to penetrate the vaccines segment in the EU.

Last September, Cipla linked with U.K.-based S&D Pharma to market its products in the EU, specifically in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. More recently, Cipla’s subsidiary Medpro Pharmaceutica announced its collaboration with Teva Pharmaceuticals, the world’s largest generics company, which will enable the company to market Teva’s generics in South Africa.