Padma awardees Krishna and Suchitra Ella-led Bharat Biotech has developed more than 20 products, including the world’s first typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) and India’s first rotavirus vaccine (RV). The company’s operating profit margins was around 33.6% in 9MFY23, says rating agency ICRA.
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd. (BBIL) was also the first to launch a nasal vaccine across the globe against SARS-CoV-2 virus — iNCOVACC — on January 26, 2023. “The development in intranasal vaccines ensures we are well-prepared with platform technologies for future diseases,” says Suchitra Ella, MD, BBIL, a company she co-founded with her husband Krishna Ella in 1996. However, it was the development of India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, which helped BBIL garner global attention. “BBIL has invested over ₹75 crore for developing Covaxin,” says Suchitra. The vaccine also turned around the financial fortunes of BBIL. Consolidated operating income rose from ₹1,501 crore in FY21 to ₹8,148 crore in FY22 with a net profit of ₹2,896 crore, says ICRA.
With substantial cash and reserves at hand from vaccine sales, BBIL can now pursue its quest for next-generation vaccines, something the Ellas are passionately following. — P.B.Jayakumar