Amid the reports of coronavirus vaccine shortage from various states, the Indian Central government and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech are willing to invite other companies which want to produce Covaxin, in a bid to scale up the vaccine production, reports ANI.
National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog member, Dr VK Paul, confirmed the matter on Thursday.
“People say that Covaxin should be given to other companies for manufacturing. I am happy to say that Covaxin manufacturing company [Bharat Biotech] has welcomed this when we discussed it with them. Under this vaccine, a live virus is inactivated and this is done only in BSL3 labs.
“Not every company has this. We give an open invitation to companies who want to do this. Companies that want to manufacture Covaxin, should do it together. The Centre will assist so that capacity is increased,” the ANI quoted Dr VK Paul as saying.
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The announcement came days after several states have been complaining about shortage of vaccines for eligible candidates.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain stated that he discussed with Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan that vaccine formulas can be shared with other firms to ramp up production, new agency PTI reported.
Last week, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting other capable companies to manufacture the two Covid-19 vaccines - Covaxin and Covishield - being already produced in India, and said the Union government should do away with vaccine production monopoly using the patent law.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, on Tuesday, wrote to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transfer the manufacturing technology of Covaxin to other manufacturing companies, an ANI report said.