In the peaceful town of Dargaville, Northland, a biotech facility is quietly playing a huge role in global health. At Pristine Biologicals, they’re extracting a pale gold serum from cattle blood – a key ingredient in vaccines used worldwide, from animal diseases to human rabies.

Each year, hundreds of tonnes of this serum are shipped off to Hyderabad, India, where it’s used to create vaccines on a massive scale. And behind this operation? Dr. Anand Kumar, the mastermind behind Indian Immunologicals, who set up the Dargaville facility back in 2015.

But here’s the twist – Dr. Kumar’s story isn’t just about cutting-edge biotech. It’s also about the surprising Kiwi connection.

The Kiwi Influence: From New Zealand to India

Before becoming a leader in India’s vaccine industry, Dr. Kumar spent years in New Zealand, from 1996 to 2003, where he worked in microbiology, virology, and vaccine research. He noticed something fascinating about New Zealand cattle – their disease-free status. This became a game-changer when he returned to India.

“In New Zealand, there’s ‘virgin’ serum,” Dr. Kumar explains, “because their cattle have never faced diseases like foot-and-mouth disease.” This pristine serum became crucial for developing vaccines, and by 2015, Dr. Kumar decided to bring the whole process in-house by opening the Pristine Biologicals facility in Dargaville.

The facility sources cattle blood from nearby Silver Fern Farms, processes it, and ships the serum frozen to India to help manufacture vaccines.

A Game Plan for India’s Dairy Future 🐄🥛

The real mission behind Indian Immunologicals? Protecting India’s fragile dairy industry from devastating livestock diseases. Dr. Kumar explains that when India was struggling to produce enough milk, there was a strong push to make the country self-sufficient – and vaccines were a critical part of that.

Unlike Western countries, where large herds are common, many Indian dairy farmers have just a few cows per household. This made access to affordable vaccines a challenge. Enter Indian Immunologicals, founded to create locally produced vaccines that would be affordable for small farmers. 💡

From just one vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease, the company has grown to provide a range of vaccines for cattle, goats, and even companion animals. And their community work doesn’t stop there – their Gift Milk Programme helps provide over 7,000 schoolchildren with fortified milk every day. 🥛💪

A Leap from Animals to Humans: The Rabies Vaccine Story 🐕💉

In 1998, Indian Immunologicals made a bold move: producing a human rabies vaccine. At the time, rabies was a major issue in India, with many people, particularly street vendors, getting bitten by dogs. The existing vaccine was expensive and had to be given in multiple painful doses.

But Dr. Kumar and his team took on the challenge. “It was met with skepticism,” he says. “A veterinary company making a human vaccine? People laughed.” But fast-forward to today, and Indian Immunologicals is the world’s largest producer of human rabies vaccines. 🌍

Looking Ahead: No NZ Vaccine Trade… Yet 🤔

In 2024, Pristine Biologicals bagged two prestigious Indian Newslink awards for excellence in marketing and international trade, which was a big moment for Dr. Kumar and his team. But when asked about supplying vaccines to New Zealand, he’s realistic.

“New Zealand’s market is too small,” Dr. Kumar explains. “We’re focused on larger markets with bigger populations.” That means right now, vaccines from Indian Immunologicals aren’t heading to Kiwi shores anytime soon.

Still, the story of how a Kiwi connection has helped transform India’s vaccine industry shows the power of global collaboration and innovation.