Partnership announced after Tokyo meeting

Japanese pharmaceutical company Meiji Seika Pharma has announced a collaboration with the Serum Institute of India (SII) to manufacture and market the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine in India. The move, reported by Asian News International (ANI), is aimed at deepening pharmaceutical ties between India and Japan.

The announcement follows a meeting between Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Toshiaki Nagasato, President and Representative Director of Meiji Seika Pharma, in Tokyo on August 24. According to ANI, Goyal announced the meeting on X, stating that the discussion centred on strengthening India-Japan cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector and exploring avenues to expand manufacturing and R&D footprint in India.

Vaccine technology transfer and regulatory plans

Meiji Seika Pharma has a technology collaboration with SII and intends to transfer the technology for its Japanese Encephalitis vaccine, currently marketed in Japan by its subsidiary KM Biologics Co., Ltd., to the Indian firm, Nagasato told ANI. SII is expected to apply for regulatory approval in India as early as next year, after which the vaccine would be made available to children in the country. The Times of India reported Nagasato saying, "SII will take the required approval to provide the vaccine for children in India. Our subsidiary has already marketed this vaccine in Japanese market. Hopefully, next year SII will apply and try to take the approval in India and then they will market this vaccine."

Technical officials from SII have already visited Japan to study the underlying vaccine technology, as reported by both ANI and The Times of India. In April, SII and Meiji Seika Pharma announced the achievement of the first milestone in their collaboration, according to The Times of India.

Focus on affordable pricing and accelerated approval

Nagasato expressed confidence that SII, known for manufacturing vaccines at low costs, would launch the JE vaccine at an affordable price. "SII manufactures at the lowest cost. We believe SII will launch the vaccine at affordable and lowest cost," he said, as quoted by The Times of India. The Japanese company has urged the minister to help accelerate the approval process for the vaccine in India, according to both sources.

The partnership leverages Japan's vaccine technology combined with India's low-cost manufacturing capability, a combination The Times of India noted could help combat a disease Japan itself once grappled with. According to the World Health Organization, there are three types of Japanese Encephalitis vaccines given to children, as reported by The Times of India.

Medreich expansion plans

Alongside the vaccine partnership, Meiji Seika Pharma is looking to invest in its Indian subsidiary Medreich, which it acquired in 2014, though Nagasato declined to disclose the amount. "We can't say how much we are planning to invest in India, as we are still at the strategy stage," he told ANI.

Medreich, based in Bengaluru, supplies generic medicines globally, including to the UK, Canada, Europe and Africa, and the company is scaling up its production capacity, according to ANI. The Times of India reported that the idea is to expand Medreich's generic operations within India and for exports to countries such as the UK, Canada, and various European and African markets. The Times of India also framed the subsidiary as eyeing inorganic growth and more generics supply from India.