Dr. Waldemar Mordecai Haffkine, was born on 15th March, 1860 in Odessa, Russia. An illustrious disciple of Dr. Aleck Metchnikoff and Dr. Louis Pasteur, Dr. Haffkine arrived in Calcutta in 1892 with a mission to tackle the problem of a Cholera epidemic.Thus Haffkine has more than 100 years of history.HBPCL. fully owned Govt of Maharashtra Company registered under Companies Act,1956, world's largest Vaccine and Pharmaceutical drugs Manufacturer. With a view to expand the production activities and to meet the growing demands for medicines & life saving drugs, HBPCL,the Governor of Maharashtra is vested with the power to appoint all the Directors on the Board of the Company.Haffkine Ajintha Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a subsidiary of HBPCL., was established in 1977. The Corporation plays a pioneering role in the development and production of a wide range of Bacterial and Viral vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, plague, poliomyelitis and rabies. The Corporation also formulates pharmaceutical products, disinfectants, ointments, injectables, syrups and mixtures.The Antitoxin and Sera (ATS) department of HBPCL is located at Pimpri near Pune, and it is engaged in the manufacture of Antiserum against Tetanus, Diphtheria, Gas gangrene, Snake and Scorpion Venoms. The ATS department was established in 1940 at Mumbai for production of Anti Snake Venom Serum (ASVS) and subsequently shifted to Pimpri from 1952-53 onwards in a phased manner. The antisera are produced by HBPCL at most economical and affordable prices and are supplied mainly to various states and Central Government Institutions including defence.In 1997, HBPCL was successful in introducing Scorpion Venom Antiserum for the first time in India, which was specifically developed to fulfill longstanding demand from Konkan region. Currently HBPCL is the only manufacturer of the same in the Country.ATS dept also manufactures Anti Rabies Serum (ARS).