Vaccine Schedule Names & Brands Available in India
India's Universal Immunization Programme schedule, the vaccine names and manufacturers behind each dose, and what it means for hospital stocking.
This piece runs through what each dose on the schedule actually is, which manufacturers and CDSCO-approved products supply it, and closes on why a hospital's own vaccine stocking discipline determines whether that routine, high-volume category stays in-house.
What vaccines make up India's national immunization schedule?
The UIP schedule starts at birth with BCG, OPV-0, and the hepatitis B birth dose, followed by OPV, pentavalent (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and hepatitis B combined), rotavirus vaccine, and fractional inactivated polio vaccine at 6, 10 and 14 weeks. Measles-rubella and Japanese encephalitis (in endemic districts) follow later in the first two years.
This combination protects against ten vaccine-preventable diseases: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, rubella, severe childhood tuberculosis, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B disease, and rotavirus diarrhoea, with Japanese encephalitis added in selected states and districts.
Which manufacturers actually supply these vaccine schedule names?
Serum Institute of India is the dominant supplier by volume across the UIP, manufacturing DTP, TT, DT, hepatitis B, Hib, MMR, measles, rubella, BCG, IPV and combination pentavalent-type products. Bharat Biotech supplies rotavirus vaccine among others, and Biological E. Limited is a major pentavalent and Japanese encephalitis vaccine manufacturer with an extensive WHO-prequalified portfolio.
All three operate under CDSCO's central licensing for vaccines as biological products, meaning every batch released for use in India, whether procured for the government UIP or sold privately, sits under the same central regulatory approval chain regardless of which company's name appears on the vial.
How does private-market vaccine availability differ from the UIP schedule?
Beyond the free UIP schedule, private clinics and hospitals also stock non-UIP vaccines not universally provided by the government programme: varicella, HPV, typhoid conjugate, pneumococcal conjugate, and others recommended by paediatric associations but not yet part of the national schedule everywhere. These are the same manufacturers' CDSCO-approved products, sold through the private trade channel rather than government procurement.
A hospital or clinic serving both UIP-eligible patients and private paying patients effectively runs two parallel vaccine stocking tracks: free-of-cost UIP doses procured through the government supply chain, and privately purchased non-UIP vaccines procured through standard pharmaceutical distribution.
Why does CDSCO's central approval process matter for vaccine names specifically?
Vaccines are biological products, not simple chemical formulations, and CDSCO's approval process for them includes batch-specific release testing beyond the initial product licensing that applies to conventional drugs. This is a meaningfully stricter regulatory bar than for most oral medications, reflecting the higher manufacturing complexity and safety stakes of a biological product given to healthy infants at scale.
For a hospital, this means vaccine procurement carries a documentation trail, batch numbers and cold-chain compliance records, that ordinary drug stocking doesn't require, and getting this wrong has consequences beyond simple stockout.
How do the main schedule categories compare?
| Vaccine | Disease(s) covered | Typical manufacturer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| BCG | Severe childhood tuberculosis | Multiple licensed Indian manufacturers |
| Pentavalent (DTP-HepB-Hib) | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, Hib | Serum Institute, Biological E. |
| OPV / fractional IPV | Poliomyelitis | Serum Institute and other licensed makers |
| Rotavirus vaccine | Rotavirus diarrhoea | Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute |
| Measles-Rubella | Measles, rubella | Serum Institute |
| Japanese encephalitis (regional) | Japanese encephalitis | Biological E. and others, in endemic districts |
This table reflects the functional UIP schedule; a hospital's actual stocking list should always be cross-checked against the current MoHFW immunization schedule, since state-specific additions vary.
Why does reliable vaccine stocking matter to a hospital's own pharmacy?
A vaccine schedule is one of the most predictable, recurring drug categories any paediatric or general OPD sees, with a known dosing calendar that makes demand forecasting genuinely easier than for most other drug classes. A hospital or clinic that runs an occasional vaccine stockout doesn't just lose the sale; it disrupts a scheduled series that ideally continues at the same facility with the same records.
Medyzen's managed hospital pharmacy model is built to keep exactly this kind of high-frequency, schedule-driven category reliably stocked rather than losing the follow-up dose to an outside clinic, and the broader cost of that leakage is covered in prescription leakage and hospital revenue loss.
Sources
- 1Universal Immunization Programme — Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
- 2National Immunization Schedule — National Health Mission, Government of India
- 3Universal Immunisation Programme — National Health Portal of India, MoHFW
- 4List of Licensed Human Vaccine Manufacturing Facilities in India — Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
- 5Details of Manufacturing Permissions of Human Vaccines Approved by CDSCO — Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
This article is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Vaccination schedules are updated periodically by MoHFW; always confirm the current schedule and state-specific additions before administering any vaccine.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The UIP provides BCG, OPV, hepatitis B, pentavalent, rotavirus vaccine, fractional IPV, measles-rubella, and, in select districts, Japanese encephalitis, all free at government health facilities.
Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech, and Biological E. Limited are the principal domestic manufacturers supplying the UIP, all operating under CDSCO's central licensing for biological products.
Pentavalent vaccine combines protection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and hepatitis B in a single injection, given as part of the primary UIP schedule.
Not in regulatory status; both are CDSCO-approved products from the same manufacturers. The difference is which vaccines the government procures free under the UIP versus what a private clinic stocks and sells outside that programme.
Vaccines are biological products requiring batch-specific release testing in addition to initial product licensing, reflecting their higher manufacturing complexity and the scale at which they're given to healthy infants.
Dr. Priya MenonMBBS, MD (General Medicine)
Consultant Physician (Internal Medicine)
Dr. Priya Menon is a consultant physician in internal medicine, writing on drug classes, side-effect profiles, and evidence-based clinical use for hospital and prescriber audiences.