Bharat Biotech, an Indian vaccine producer, announced the expansion of its vaccine manufacturing capability on Tuesday. Covaxin can now be produced in 700 million or 70 crore doses each year by the company.
The decision to increase Covaxin manufacturing capability comes at a time when India is experiencing a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines as it fights the pandemic’s second wave.
Manufacturing size has been ramped up and is being carried out in a stepwise fashion through various facilities in Hyderabad and Bangalore, according to Bharat Biotech.
Covaxin is a Covid-19 vaccine that was developed in-house. It was established in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology by Bharat Biotech, a vaccine manufacturer located in Hyderabad (NIV).
It’s one of three vaccines authorized by India’s medicines regulator. Covishield, produced by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and Russian jab Sputnik V are the other two.
The pharmaceutical company said it was looking at forming partnerships with international companies that have experience manufacturing inactivated viral vaccines on a commercial scale while maintaining bio-safety.
Bharat Biotech has teamed up with Indian Immunologicals (IIL) to produce Covaxin’s drug material. The technology transition process is currently in progress. The IIL, according to the manufacturer, has the capability and experience to produce inactivated viral vaccines on a commercial scale while maintaining bio-safety.
Outside of India, Covaxin has been granted emergency use authorizations (EUA). In the near term, it hopes to provide ties to more than 60 nations.
Mexico, the Philippines, and Iran are among the countries that have already granted EUA for Covaxin, while the United States and a number of European countries are in the process of doing so.
The Bharat Biotech will be supplying Covaxin to these countries after it signs separate EUA agreements with them at rates of $15-20 per dosage.
