The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Set up Indian Immunologicals Ltd. (IIL) in 1983 with the objective of making Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine available to farmers at an affordable price. The technology for FMD vaccine manufacture was obtained from M/s. Wellcome Foundation Limited, United Kingdom. The plant in Hyderabad today has a capacity to make 80 million trivalent doses of FMD vaccine.

Following the successful introduction of Foot & Mouth Disease Vaccine-Raksha, IIL launched the tissue culture vaccine “Raksharab” in 1989. This was the first Indian tissue culture vaccine in the market. Subsequently IIL has developed many biologicals through its own R&D efforts and launched several vaccines in the Indian market at affordable prices.

IIL is today the fifth largest animal health player in the Indian market and the market leader in veterinary biologicals in India. It operates one of the largest plants in the world for veterinary vaccines and is WHO – GMP and ISO-9002 certified. IIL exports its products to several countries and exports contributed substantially to the company’s turnover.

IIL pursues not only the mandate of NDDB to provide products and services to enhance the quality of livestock in the country but also use its technological capabilities to the benefit of the people of India. IIL strongly believes that its mission of “immunity made affordable” can be actively pursued only with a sound technology base in modern biotechnology.

IIL operates a facility in Ooty to manufacture the vero cell culture rabies vaccine for use in human beings. This plant was set up in 1998 at the specific request of the Government of India so that our country can phase out use of the older and unsafe sheep brain vaccine (also termed nerve tissue vaccine – NTV) with the modern tissue culture vaccine. IIL sells the product under the brand name “Abhayrab” through its network of “Abhay Clinics”. Incidentally, IIL is the second company in the world to launch the purified vero cell rabies vaccine (PVRV). The vaccine is sold at very economical price when compared to the brands of multinational companies.

The success of Abhayrab and Abhay Clinics emboldened IIL to embark on building a new vaccine facility in Hyderabad to manufacture various other human vaccines such as Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Recombinant Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A and Measles. This plant will also produce combination vaccine against these diseases.

With the new vaccine plant going into commercial production form March 2006 in phases, IIL will make Indian self sufficient in modern vaccines and also help India emerge as a leading vaccine manufacturer in the world.

IIL’s R&D efforts are directed at developing new technologies in biologicals and vaccines. IIL in collaboration with Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore is developing the world’s first DNA Rabies vaccine under the Prime Minister “Jai Vigyan Programme”. IIL is also involved in developing vaccines for various tropical diseases which are of no interest to western countries but very relevant for a country like India.

The significant milestones in IIL’s history are given below:

In summary, IIL pursues its mission of making “immunity affordable” to both the animal and human health segments and in the process creates a vibrant biotechnology base for the country and a leadership position in the international arena.