Chennai, Oct 28 (IANS): Trial production of vaccines will begin at the Pasteur Institute at Coonoor from next month, the Centre has assured the Tamil Nadu government.

The Institute was closed several years back.

Union Minister of Family Health and Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya, in a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on October 5, said the Pasteur Institute facility in Coonoor is at the qualification stage.

The performance qualification of facilities, utilities and critical equipment will be completed by November, after which the trial batches of the vaccines will be initiated, Mandaviya told Stalin, a DMK statement said on Thursday.

Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP P. Wilson met Mandaviya on Thursday and presented a letter on the need to revive the BCG Vaccine laboratory inside Kings Institute Guindy here and also at the Integrated Vaccine Complex (IVC) of HLL Biotech in Chengalpattu and urged the inclusion of the Tamil Nadu government to achieve this.