Mumbai, India, August 2020:

Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited (BSV), a leading biopharmaceutical company with presence in India and emerging markets, today announced the initiation of equine polyclonal antibody development for SARS-CoV-2. The project was designed to generate polyclonal antibody against COVID-19 virus in horses using relevant viral antigens.

According to Sanjiv Navangul, Managing Director & CEO, BSV, “We want to help overcome this pandemic through the demonstrated work done in processing therapeutic polyclonal antibodies from hyperimmunised horse plasma. Clinical safety of equine immunoglobulins through consistent quality and safety of our equine products over the past two decades has given us the confidence to take up this project. With millions of doses of equine immunoglobulin products manufactured thus far, we would like to develop a viable therapeutic option for COVID-19 infection in the shortest possible time”.

Passive Immune therapy using polyclonal antibody derived from horses is indeed a time-tested approach. It has been used over several decades in the treatment of several infectious diseases such as Rabies, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Antivenom and Gas gangrene. Several published reports of equine polyclonal antibodies indicate in-vitro virus neutralization capabilities and protection against viral infection in animal models. Such observations support the development of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 virus in horses for the management of COVID-19 infection.

Dr. Jaby Jacob, Head-R&D at BSV comments on the process and timelines of this project, “A group of equines have already been immunized with viral antigens. The resultant equine polyclonal antibody is being tested in various established test systems to establish the efficacy in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2. The antibody will be purified using our equine plasma fractionation platform technology and evaluated for quality, stability, safety, and efficacy. We hope to bring this candidate antibody into clinical development within the next 3-4 months”.

While thanking varied governmental agencies that BSV works closely with, Dr. Jacob adds, “All our products go through rigorous safety evaluations as per the regulatory guidelines. We work closely with the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, CPCSEA, CDSCO, state FDA and other related agencies on the approval processes required at different stages of development”.

In its ongoing fight against COVID-19, BSV has tried to adopt a multi-prong approach. Last month, Ulinastatin, currently used for severe sepsis and other critical clinical condition (acute pancreatitis) has moved to phase III clinical study on mild to moderate ARDS patients with COVID 19.

About Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited (BSV)

Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited (BSV) has been a pioneer in the development of blood components and therapeutic antibody products for infectious and non-infectious diseases. For over four decades, BSV has focused on utilizing its scientific resources to develop several biological, biotechnology and pharmaceutical products to treat various types of diseases, contributing to preserve, protect and enhance the quality of life. We aim to be a leading biopharmaceutical company driven by people & science to set benchmarks in patient outcomes in Women’s Health, Critical Care & Emergency Medicine.

For more information, please contact:

Irawati Gowariker, Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited (BSV), Irawati.Gowariker@bsvgroup.com