India’s first indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine launched

"This is a significant milestone for the country's public healthcare which will ensure that children are protected better against pneumococcal disease with an effective vaccine," Dr Harsh Vardshan said at the virtual launch function on Monday.

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The study, published on Thursday in the journal JAMA, recruited 45 healthy male volunteers aged 18 to 50 years scheduled for mRNA Covid-19 vaccination by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. (AP/File)

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday launched India’s first fully indigenously developed pneumococcal vaccine “Pneumosil”. Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world by doses, developed Pneumosil through a collaboration spanning over a decade with PATH and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“This is a significant milestone for the country’s public healthcare which will ensure that children are protected better against pneumococcal disease with an effective vaccine,” Dr Harsh Vardshan said at the virtual launch function on Monday.

Pneumococcal disease is a significant contributor to the under-five mortality rate worldwide. Annually India witnesses an estimated 71 per cent of pneumonia deaths and 57 per cent of severe pneumonia cases. Every year, nearly 67,800 children under five years of age die from pneumococcal diseases and recognising its widespread fatality, WHO recommended the inclusion of PCV in routine childhood immunisation programmes in all countries

PCVs have helped reduce pneumococcal deaths but are difficult for many countries to afford. “Pneumosil addresses a need for a more affordable option,” Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India said. Dr Rajeev Dhere, Executive Director, SII, said that Pneumosil would be available at an affordable competitive price, with an advantage of presence of serotypes 6A and 19A in the vaccine. The unique feature of the WHO pre-qualified PCV is its composition, which is specially tailored to the prevailing serotype prevalence of S Pneumoniae in India and other regions of the world.

SII had conducted the Phase 1,2 and 3 clinical trials of the vaccine in India and Gambia. The vaccine also makes SII the world’s third supplier of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) under the pneumococcal Advance Market Commitment and the first developing country vaccine manufacturer to access the global PCV market.

“Tenders have been floated by the Centre for 20-30 million doses and we will supply that to the Indian government,” Poonawalla said. Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, chairman and managing director, SII was also present.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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