Bharat Biotech on Wednesday said its rotavirus oral vaccine Rotavac has been introduced by Nigeria to immunise children from life-threatening diarrhoeal disease.
Nigeria currently accounts for 14 per cent of all childhood rotavirus deaths globally, making it the country with the second-highest number of rotavirus deaths in the world.
Rotavirus infection causes about 50,000 child fatalities under the age of five each year in Nigeria.
"We are committed to supporting and reducing the infectious disease burden amongst children in the developing world, and to ensure nations like Nigeria in the African continent have access to cost-effective world-class interventions for infants and vulnerable populations," Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director Krishna Ella said in a statement.
Decades of research and product development have resulted in the development of Rotavac, he added.
The vaccine is now available in several countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
Ella said the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker would continue to play its role in researching, developing and manufacturing novel vaccines to lower the morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases and contribute towards the achievement of universal vaccine access.
Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of diarrheal disease in the world and is responsible for over 40 per cent of diarrhoea in children.
It accounts for about 2.15 lakh of the 5.25 lakh under-five mortality worldwide each year, which are attributed to diarrheal diseases, making it the most common cause of severe diarrhoea.
Rotavac received WHO-prequalification in January 2018.
The company said it has developed the vaccine under a public-private partnership with the Department of Biotechnology and 16 international partners, making it the largest ever social innovation project for public health.
Bharat Biotech is a global leader in rotavirus vaccines, with one of the largest manufacturing capacities.
