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IIL launches indigenous means of IVF for embryo transfer

Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL) has launched ‘Shashthi’, an indigenous in vitro fertilisation (IVF) medium developed in collaboration with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

“The use of IVF embryo transfer has increased across the world to accelerate genetic progress. With the recent emphasis and support from the Government of India under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, 36 IVF laboratories have been established. At present, all IVF laboratories are using imported IVF media, which is not only costly but also has a limited shelf life. The indigenous IVF media pool will help reduce the cost of embryo production, thereby facilitating the acceptability of the technology to our dairy farmers,” Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB, said in a statement.

K Anand Kumar, CEO of IIL, said, “IIL is the first in India to start manufacturing a range of indigenous IVF media. The current cost of commercial media per embryo is Rs 1,000. In contrast, the indigenously developed media is 33% cheaper than imported media and would cost Rs 650 per embryo. This reduction in the cost of media would lead to a decrease in the cost of embryos and subsequently the cost of pregnancies.”

Farmer-centred model

The launch of IVF facilities would make IVF technology more affordable for farmers, reducing costs and improving the farmer-centric model of animal husbandry and dairy development. This will promote self-reliance and reduce dependence on imported facilities and align with the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a significant advancement in reproductive technology. IVF involves fertilization of an egg in a controlled laboratory environment and selection of the healthiest embryos for transfer. Over the last few years, the in vitro egg collection and embryo production (OPU-IVEP) technique has emerged as a replacement for the in vitro embryo production technique. It is anticipated that the use of this technology to multiply superior quality bovine germplasm can change the face of dairy farming in India.

Currently, 8,000-10,000 embryos are transferred annually in India, resulting in the birth of approximately 2,000-2,500 calves, benefiting the same number of farmers. However, with increasing IVF coverage and generous government subsidies, this penetration is expected to increase significantly.

Posted on September 13, 2024

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