Austrian biotech company Intercell announced the launch of its Japanese encephalitis vaccine in India where it will bemanufactured by its partner, Biological E in Hyderabad.

The vaccine will be marketed under the brand name Jeev and will cost around Rs 985. Intercell revealed that it hoped the launch will help the company achieve a profit in the second quarter and added that it was also looking get approval to market the vaccine in other Asian countries.

Jeev is already available in western markets including Europe, North America, Australia and Singapore where it is marketed under the brand name Ixario.

Stating that it was a major step forward for his company, Intercell Chief Executive Thomas Lingelbach said, “We have taken a major step forward in achieving our goal of rolling out this Japanese Encephalitis vaccine in endemic countries with a high medical need in order to protect children and adults.