Walvax Biotech, leading conjugate vaccine maker in central Yunnan

“Wo’anxin” or Prevenar 13 is China’s first and the world’s second 13-valent pneumonia combined vaccine produced by the Walvax Biotechnology Co., Ltd based in central Yunnan's Yuxi City.

Prevenar 13 is a 13-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine for streptococcus pneumoniae. It is registered for immunising infants and children against pneumococcal diseases, such as pneumonia and acute otitis media.

According to data released by the World Health Organization, 27% to 85% of people carry pneumococcus, but the pneumococcal disease does not necessarily break out.

When the body’s resistance decreases or when we receive other hazards, such as influenza virus infection, pneumococcus will invade the blood or local infiltration infection will cause invasive pneumococcal diseases and non-invasive pneumococcal diseases.

Even the disease is common, the estimated vaccination rate for pneumococcal diseases in China is less than 5%. It is difficult to exert the ideal clinical protection effect.

Huang Zhen, founder of Walvax Biotechnology grabs this opportunity and meets the challenges. Huang started a small business with lands and funds supported by the local government of Yuxi. Within two years, the first product of haemophilus influenzae type-B conjugate vaccine is put to the stock market.

With the domestically approved 13-valent pneumonia conjugate vaccine approved for sale, the vaccination procedure is that children of all ages from 6 weeks to 5 years old can be vaccinated, which effectively solves the problem of time limit (3 doses of imported similar products must be completed within 6 months).

At present, 7 vaccine varieties of the enterprise are sold in over 30 provinces in China and 13 countries like America, India, and others. The data from the company shows that the annual sales volume of the vaccine reached 2,863,600 doses, and the sales revenue was 1.665 billion yuan.

“I cannot complete without support from the government,” said Huangzhen in an interview.

Reporting by Yunnan Daily and Yuxi Daily; Trans-editing by Pu Xiao