For the first time in the country: New goatpox vaccine is produced at a Pune-based government facility

3 minutes of readingPuneJanuary 30, 2026 06:44 pm IST

TO goatpox vaccine will be produced by the Pune-based Institute of Veterinary Biological Products (IVBP), a state-level facility under the Department of Livestock, Government of Maharashtra. It is a Vero cell-based live attenuated vaccine, developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (ICAR-IVRI), Mukteshwar.

Dr YA Pathan, Joint Commissioner of Livestock and Dairying, IVBP, told The indian express that almost 1.15 million doses of the vaccine will initially be produced. “We also hope to get the production license from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) soon,” Dr Pathan said.

This is the first time the vaccine has been developed and will be produced in a government-run facility in the country.

Production of the goat pix vaccine involves propagation of the attenuated seed virus in vero cell lines, a monkey kidney-derived cell culture system suitable for viral replication. Key steps include preparation and maintenance of vero cells, inoculation with seed virus, monitoring of viral kinetics (titer at various time points), collection, clarification and formulation of the vaccine, and lyophilization (lyophilization) for stability and storage. “ICAR-IVRI provides 5 seed virus vials, detailed standard operating procedures and training for up to 3 IVBP staff at its facilities (up to 10 days). On-site technical support from IVRI scientists ensures smooth implementation,” said Dr Pathan. He added that three consecutive batches must pass all quality control tests before commercial release. “Our protocols include safety, sterility and potency evaluations, with possible modifications based on field data. The vaccine is safe for goats and provides long-term immunity against goatpox,” he added.

In the private sector, goatpox vaccines are available from Hester Biosciences, Gujarat, Indian Immunologicals Limited, Hyderabad inter alia.

Founded in 1960, IVBP is the only institute in Maharashtra that produces vaccines for domestic animals and birds, including bacterial and viral vaccines, antigens and diagnostic reagents. It caters to the vaccine needs of livestock farmers through government veterinary dispensaries.

Among its products, the goatpox vaccine stands out as a critical tool for controlling goatpox, a highly contagious viral disease caused by the goatpox virus (genus Capripox virus), endemic in India, Southwest Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of Africa. Goatpox causes high morbidity (up to 100%) and mortality (up to 80-100% in young animals), causing significant economic losses on small ruminant farms.

Story continues below this ad.

According to Dr. Pathan, Maharashtra has an approximate population of 1.28 crore sheep and goats.

Meanwhile, the technology was transferred to IVBP through a non-exclusive license agreement signed on January 20, 2023 through Agrinnovate India Ltd, a Government of India undertaking and the commercial arm of ICAR. This transfer includes technical knowledge, virus seeds and biological materials to enable commercial production.

IVBP has been granted a trial license to produce Lumpi-ProVac, a locally developed vaccine for lumpy skin disease in cattle, which shares technological similarities with the goatpox vaccine. An MoU for this was signed in Nagpur on December 29, 2022, emphasizing large-scale production to meet India’s livestock needs.

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a senior editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, he is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism on health, science, environment and research developments. She also has a keen interest in covering women’s issues. Professional Background Education: Gold Medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and Masters in Literature. Author: She is the author of the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist of the WHO. Key Focus: Combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human interest narratives. Awards and Recognitions Anuradha has won several awards including Press Council of India National Award for Excellence in Journalism in Gender Based Reporting Category in 2019 and Laadli Media Award (Gender Sensitivity -2024). She received the Lokmat Journalism Award (Gender Category-2022) and was also shortlisted for the RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism-2021. Her first book, At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the inaugural Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization, was also nominated in the People’s Choice category of the JK Paper AUTHER Awards. She has also held competitive fellowships including Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious India 2025 cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Featured Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer and Specialty Healthcare “Tata Memorial finds a way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells” (November 26, 2025): Report on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, Diet and Purpose; How a 97-Year-Old Professor Challenges Aging” (November 15, 2025) Report on Professor Gururaj Mutalik, the first head of department at Pune’s BJ Government Medical College, who at 97 attributes his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose 2. Environmental health (“Breathless” series. Pune”) Prolonged exposure to even “moderate” air causes chronic heart, lung and kidney problems” (November 26, 2025) – Part of a research series highlighting that even “safe” pollution levels are harmful to vital organs. “For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was a 6-8% increase in medicine sales” (November 23, 2025) – Using commercial data to demonstrate the direct link between air quality and respiratory diseases in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News “They Didn’t Let Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease Stop Them From Traveling” (December 22, 2025) – A collaborative article featuring survivors sharing practical tips for traveling with chronic illnesses. At age 17, his blood pressure shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study points out why hypertension in children and adolescents doubled between 2000 and 2020” (November 12, 2025) – a report that focuses on a 17-year-old’s hypertensive crisis and reflects the growing global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Infrastructure and Recognition To promote science and communication and gender diversity: IUCAA professor featured in Nature” (November 25, 2025): Covers global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe” (December 3, 2025): A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe had only 1.5 billion years. , one of the first to be seen so far Signature Beat: Health, Science and Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her reporting on COVID-19, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed information on the trials of Covishield and Covaxin. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, and often profiles women researchers who are breaking the “leaky pipeline” in STEM fields. health experts from the institutions.
…Read more

Click here join WhatsApp Express Pune Channel and get a curated list of our stories

Select a plan

Monthly plan

Yearly plan

All plans include

Search for an article