New Delhi/Kolkata: Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Limited has proposed reviving anti-snake venom production in West Bengal after a gap of nearly 15 years, with the state-owned company seeking a government purchase guarantee and a substantial increase in the procurement price to make the project commercially viable.
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The Kolkata-headquartered central public sector undertaking has estimated an investment of around Rs 150 crore for the proposed facility. It has initiated discussions with the West Bengal government, citing the state’s snakebite burden and its dependence on antivenom transported from manufacturers in southern and western India.
“We have shown interest in manufacturing anti-snake venom again, which will be a Rs 150 crore project. I have apprised the minister and said the government has to make a procurement guarantee and needs to raise the procurement price of each vial to Rs 700-800 against Rs 450 now,” Bengal Chemicals Managing Director S Ghosh Choudhury said on the sidelines of the RISE Conclave 2026.
The proposed price represents an increase of between 56 percent and 78 percent over the current procurement rate cited by the company. Bengal Chemicals has argued that the higher price should be assessed against potential savings in treatment and logistics rather than the cost of each vial alone.
West Bengal Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee confirmed that an initial discussion had been held with Bengal Chemicals and that the company had sought certain commitments from the state government.
“An initial discussion regarding anti-snake venom in West Bengal has been held with Bengal Chemicals, and they have asked for a few things which I will apprise the chief minister,” Mukherjee said.
“This was a very early stage talk,” he added.
The remarks indicate that the proposal has not yet received formal approval. The state government will have to examine the investment plan, procurement commitment, proposed pricing, manufacturing standards and likely demand before taking a decision.
Bengal Chemicals has also not disclosed the proposed location, annual production capacity, financing structure or timeline for establishing the facility.
Choudhury said the company’s experience before it stopped production showed that patients generally required 10 to 15 vials of antivenom. He claimed that some patients now require as many as 60 vials of products sourced from other regions.
The state health minister attributed the difference to geographical variations in snake venom and suggested that antivenom produced using venom collected from local snake populations could prove more effective in West Bengal.
Scientific studies have documented geographical variations in the composition of venom among populations of the same snake species. However, the company and the state government did not release clinical data substantiating the specific comparison between the earlier requirement of 10-15 vials and the claimed present requirement of up to 60 vials.
Antivenom dosage is determined by the nature and severity of envenomation and a patient’s response to treatment. The Union Health Ministry’s clinical guidelines prescribe different dosing protocols depending on the type of snakebite and clinical condition, with additional doses considered in specified circumstances. The guidelines should therefore remain the basis for treatment decisions. Health Ministry guidelines
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If established, the proposed plant could supply antivenom not only within West Bengal but also to other eastern and northeastern states, according to the company. Local production could shorten supply chains and reduce dependence on products transported over long distances.
The West Bengal government has also previously floated procurement requirements for antivenom prepared using venom collected from snake specimens in the state, indicating an official interest in region-specific products.
Founded by scientist and entrepreneur Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray as a small chemical enterprise in Calcutta in 1892, Bengal Chemicals was incorporated in 1901. It subsequently became a central public sector undertaking.
The proposed revival would mark the company’s return to an important public-health product. Its implementation, however, will depend on the state government accepting the commercial conditions sought by Bengal Chemicals and on the project securing the necessary regulatory, manufacturing and quality approvals.
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