Will India be at the Vanguard of Vaccine Development?

The global pandemic has reinstated the importance of having a strong vaccine ecosystem to foster the development of quick and efficacious vaccines. Globally, India leads in manufacturing processes of vaccines; however, it has a very limited role in the development of complex vaccines. The research and development scenario in the vaccine industry is characterised by high rates of failure which makes investments costly. The R&D capacity of India is focused on creating less complex or follow-on versions of vaccines. It typically operates on a high-volume, low-margin model to take cost advantages and remain competitive in price affordability aspects. Countries like India, where affordability is a strong factor for consumer demand, will have to resort to alternate mechanisms to stimulate R&D for the development of new vaccines. The paper looks at the status of the vaccine Industry in India and how to strengthen the ecosystem through lessons gained from international practices.

Click here to read the paper Will India be at the Vanguard of Vaccine Development? by Nissy Solomon, Senior Research Associate and Aparna Preethan, Research Intern, CPPR- Centre for Comparative Studies.