Bhubaneswar:Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited the vaccine manufacturing facility of Sapigen Biologix, a subsidiary of Bharat Biotech, on Saturday in Bhubaneswar. Touted as among the world's largest and located at the Odisha Biotech Park in Andharua in Bhubaneswar, it was established with an investment of Rs 1,500 crore. The plant, capable of producing 8 billion doses of vaccines annually, is built to produce 10 different types, and create more than 2000 direct jobs and 1500 indirect employment opportunities.
During his visit, Shanmugaratnam was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included his top ministerial colleagues and business leaders. The President was welcomed by Krishna Ella, founder of Sapigen and Bharat Biotech; Suchitra Ella, founder and managing director of Bharat Biotech; Raches Ella, managing director of Sapigen Biologix; Jalachari Ella, director of Sapigen Biologix; and senior executives of the firm.
The Singapore President took a tour of the manufacturing facilities, and he interacted with the leadership of Sapigen Biologix. The plaque in honour of the President’s visit to the facility was also unveiled during his visit.
"We are deeply honoured to welcome the Hon’ble President of Singapore, His Excellency Tharman Shanmugaratnam, to our facility today and are proud to demonstrate the innovative work being done at this expansive multi-vaccine production facility to further accelerate vaccine development and contribute to the health and well-being of people around the world," said Krishna Ella.
Ella added, "We thank the Government of Odisha, the Government of India, regulators, and our team for making this world-class, global-scale vaccine production facility a reality. The Sapigen Biologix facility marks our commitment to global public health, affordable vaccines, and strengthening India’s self-reliance and pandemic preparedness. There are no vaccine or biotech manufacturing plants between Hyderabad and Arunachal Pradesh. We are extremely proud to be bringing the knowledge-based industry and the first vaccine/biotech manufacturing plant to the eastern part of India."
Raches Ella said, “On behalf of everyone at Sapigen Biologix, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Hon’ble President of Singapore for visiting our facility today. The significance of this project reaches far beyond Odisha. This facility will position Odisha and India on the global map as the largest vaccine production and supply hub—not only for global distribution but also in alignment with our broader vision of fostering regional economic growth, nurturing local talent, and providing sustainable preventive healthcare solutions to communities worldwide.”
Sapigen Biologix will focus on the production of key vaccines aimed at addressing global health challenges," added Ella. According to him, the first and most significant vaccine to be produced at Sapigen Biologix’s cGMP production facility will be the world’s second oral cholera vaccine, Hillchol (BBV131).
The timing of this rollout is crucial, given the global shortage of oral cholera vaccines (OCVs), as evidenced by recent deaths in Angola due to pandemic cholera. Another important vaccine produced at this facility will be the world’s first licensed malaria vaccine, RTS,S. Developed in partnership with GSK, this vaccine is part of a technology transfer agreement and will primarily be distributed to low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia, aiming to reduce the burden of Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
The third vaccine to be manufactured at Sapigen Biologix will be the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). In the future, the facility will also produce vaccines for Chikungunya and Zika.
