BackBiological E's Corbevax: Union Minister urges firm to fast-track availability of made-in-India Covid vaccine
The second made-in-India Covid-19 vaccine is expected to be available in the next few months
PremiumUnion Minister DV Sadananda Gowda today urged Hyderabad-based vaccine maker Biological E to fast track the availability of their coronavirus vaccine.
The second made-in-India Covid-19 vaccine is expected to be available in the next few months.
The Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers visited the coronavirus vaccine manufacturing facilities of Bharat Biotech and Biological-E, according to a government notification.
Biological E has received support under Mission Covid Suraksha (the Indian Covid-19 Vaccine Development Mission, which was launched to reinforce and accelerate Covid-19 vaccine development efforts as part of the third stimulus package, Atmanirbhar 3.0) for the development of indigenous RBD protein sub-unit based Covid vaccine.
The support to Biological E is to the tune of ₹100 crore and the Covid-19 vaccine is in Phase-III clinical trials, the release added.
The Union Health Ministry has finalised arrangements with Biological-E to reserve 30 crore of coronavirus vaccine doses.
These vaccine doses will be manufactured and stockpiled by Biological-E from August to December 2021.
For this purpose, the Union Ministry of Health has made an advance payment of ₹1,500 crore to Biological-E, it said.
"The Minister urged Biological E to fast-track the availability of their COVID-19 vaccine to cater to the need of our country," according to the release.
Gowda, who also visited Bharat Biotech to oversee the COVAXIN production, interacted with the top scientists of Bharat Biotech and complimented the company for making available an indigenous vaccine against COVID-19 for the country, it said.
Bharat Biotech, as well as other public sector vaccine manufacturers, are being upgraded with infrastructure and technology required for COVAXIN production, it said, adding financial support is being provided as grant from Centre to the tune of approximately ₹65 crore to Bharat Biotech's new Bengaluru facility.
This facility is being repurposed to increase the capacity of vaccine production, the release added.
Similarly, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya along with Minister of State for Home AffairsG Kishan Reddy on Sunday visited Bharat Biotech's vaccine manufacturing and Bio Safety Level-3 facility here to review the production of vaccines.
Mandaviya said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to support "all our vaccine developers and manufacturers for ensuring vaccines for all".
The Ministers also discussed ramping up the production of vaccines with the manufacturers, as per another official release.
With agency inputs
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