Monthly Archives: May 2012

With upgrades, India to reopen 3 vaccine plants

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies, Uncategorized

HLL, a company that made its name in condom manufacturing, has contract for work

An Indian company known for making condoms has completed upgrades on a vaccine plant there and is nearing completion on two others.

It has only recently been disclosed that HLL Lifecare, formerly Hindustan Latex, has been overseeing the work, reports rediff business, a disclosure it says has been a surprise to some. HLL still makes condoms but also operates hospital chains, diagnostic clinics and MRI centers in India.

The plants all had their licenses pulled in 2008 because of quality problems, leading to a shortage of some vaccines at the time, according to in-PharmaTechnologist.

The government is investing about $37 million in the project. That is about half the cost of the upgrades at the Central Research Institute in Kasauli, the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vaccine Laboratory in Guindy, and the Pasteur Institute of India, in Coonoor, rediff reports. Additional funds will come from institutional investors. And while government-owned facilities usually stick to common vaccines like DPT, the plan is for the reopened plants to manufacture a variety of vaccines, including those for hepatitis B, influenza. and rabies.

While strides have been made in recent years in the development and manufacturing of vaccines, the world continues to have huge unmet needs in many areas.

– read the rediff business story
– get the in-PharmaTechnologist story

source: http://www.fiercepharmamanufacturing.com / Home> Topics: Emerging Markests , Facilities / by Eric Palmer / May o3rd, 2012

Plan to put Pollachi on farm tourism map

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

Taking a cue from its Punjab counterpart about successful ‘rice tours’, the State Tourism Department plans to promote farm tourism in a big way in and around Pollachi and Thanjavur towns.

Currently, the Tourism Department focusses on pilgrimage tourism, heritage tourism, eco-tourism, beach tourism, rural tourism, medical tourism, adventure tourism and cultural tourism, besides promoting hill stations. It also plans to promote heli-tourism and cruises.

More areas and different types of tourism are being contemplated to prolong the stay of foreign tourists.

While Thanjavur, the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, has been on the radar of the State Tourism department for a long time through heritage tourism, Pollachi, a picture perfect location for films, is an unexplored region. Nestled in the middle of the Coimbatore, Udumalpet, Valparai and Palakkad belt, Pollachi provides an ideal resting place for tourists, said tourism officials.

Talking to The Hindu , a top government official said, “Pollachi and Thanjavur offer more scope for tourism. As more and more people are constructing farm houses, we plan to make use of these facilities to provide a different experience to tourists by acting as a facilitator. We will be initiating a dialogue with prominent persons and businessmen in the area to give wide publicity.”

According to industry sources, Pollachi has been gaining momentum in farm tourism as many plantation owners had started letting out their farm houses to domestic tourists, following a severe drop in the number of movies shot in that location. Besides, farm tourism fetched more income in addition to their agricultural activities.

“The mere presence of a sanctuary, reservoirs, water sports and boat riding in places such as Valparai, Aliyar Dam, Top Slip, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve and Amaravathy Dam can provide the much-needed entertainment and relaxation to tourists. The Thanjavur Brihadeswara Temple will provide an altogether different experience. Apart from watching farmers working in the lush green paddy fields, tourists can also get their feet muddy there,” the official said.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / National / by N. Anand / Chennai, May 01st, 2012