The Centre on Thursday said biotechnology firm Bharat Biotech was willing to invite other companies to produce its coronavirus vaccine, Cov...
The Centre on Thursday said biotechnology firm Bharat Biotech was willing to invite other companies to produce its coronavirus vaccine, Covaxin, PTI reported. While addressing a press conference, Niti Aayog Member (Health) VK Paul said the central government will provide all possible assistance to companies willing to manufacture the vaccine to ramp up its supply.
“People say that Covaxin should be given to other companies for manufacturing,” Paul said, according to NDTV. “I am happy to say that Covaxin manufacturing company has welcomed this when we discussed it with them.”
Paul, however, added that most vaccine makers in the country do not have sophisticated laboratories to produce the vaccine. “Under this vaccine, a live virus is inactivated and this is done only in BSL3 [Biosafety Level 3] labs,” Paul said. “Not every company has this. We give an open invitation to companies who want to do this.”
The announcement came after several leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, wrote to the prime minister asking the Centre to facilitate the transfer of technology of producing Covaxin to other companies.
Earlier this month, Indian Council of Medical Research Director-General Balram Bhargava had said intellectual property rights for the use of Covaxin was...
