Serum Institute Buys 50% Stake In Schott Kaisha, India's Largest Vial Maker

Serum Institute of India and Schott Kaisha did not divulge any financial details on the deal in their joint statement.

Serum Institute of India has bought a 50% stake in vials maker Schott Kaisha, the companies said on Tuesday, as the world's largest vaccine maker aims to secure pharmaceutical packaging to meet rising demand due to the pandemic. "Securing this supply chain is of strategic importance," said Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of Serum Institute. "As a longtime customer, we use (Schott's) vials, ampoules and syringes to store our vaccines including (COVID-19 vaccine) Covishield." Serum and Schott did not divulge any financial details on the deal in their joint statement. A representative for Schott India in an email said that the two partners have decided not to disclose the value of the deal. Serum did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Schott Kaisha is a joint venture between specialty glass makers Schott AG from Germany and India's Kaisha, producing the highest number of ampoules and vials in the country at around 2.5 billion units per year.