Biovac-B, analysts say, will be co-promoted by the erstwhile Merind (now integrated into Wockhardt) field force comprising around 350 personnel. Wockhardt has a field strength of around 400 and the co-promotion strategy has apparently been extremely successful in the case of Spasmo Proxyvon, analysts said.

Wockhardt chairman Habil Khorakiwala said, "Biovac-B meets and even supersedes all the quality parameters specified by global references like the European Pharmacopoeia. Biovac-B underwent the most extensive clinical testing in India before launch, and proved to be extremely efficacious with all 100 per cent of patients showing sero conversion. For the Indian market, this vaccine will be priced competitively at nearly 25 per cent discount to the leading multinationalbrand".

A company press release said that Biovac was developed through research done in India and Germany, by the joint venture company Wockhardt Rhein Biopharm Ltd. Wockhardt's biotechnology scientists scaled up the basic technology received from Germany and brought about substantial improvement in yield and quality. Besides Biovac-B, Wockhardt is expected to launch the second product in the last quarter of 2000.

The hepatitis B surface antigen which goes into Biovac-B uses a unique expression system based on the methylotropic yeast -Hansenula Polymorpha, which is a proprietary technology of Rhein Biotech. Biovac-B is manufactured in a special recombinant protein manufacturing facility set up by Wockhardt, while the vials are filled at the company's US FDA approved unit at Aurangabad.