Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech ramp up COVID-19 vaccine export plan

Vaccine exports get a shot in the arm from global drug demand. Pune’s Serum Institute of India (SII) has shipped 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine to 20 countries. Bharat Biotech is all set to start exports to countries like Brazil and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the end of this week.

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech — which developed the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin with the Indian Council of Medical Research — is all set to start exporting to Brazil and the UAE from the end of this week.

The company had indicated in mid-January that it had signed an agreement with Precisa Medicamentos, a drugs wholesaler in Brazil, to supply Covaxin in that country.

The supplies were to start after the Brazilian regulator National Health Surveillance Agency or ANVISA (Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria) gave market authorisation. Bharat Biotech confirmed that supplies to Brazil would start by the end of this week. Moreover, the company is also primed for supply to the Philippines and other South Asian countries.

SII, on the other hand, has supplied around 30 million doses to 20 countries like Brazil, South Africa, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius, among others, confirmed a company spokesperson.

Some of these deliveries have been on behalf of AstraZeneca — for example, the supplies to Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Some of the shipments have gone from the Indian government to these countries as part of diplomatic relations. Some countries like Bangladesh have received the Covishield vaccine — both from the Indian government and the SII as part of a bilateral pact. The country has so far purchased around 30 million doses from SII through a private player Beximco Pharmaceuticals.

Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech has also received a letter of comfort from the Government of India to supply another 4.5 million doses of Covaxin to the government. A company spokesperson confirmed the same.

Bharat Biotech had earlier supplied 5.5 million doses of Covaxin to the Indian government. Of these, around 1.65 million doses were given free to the government, while the firm charged Rs 295 per jab for the rest.

SII, too, has supplied 11 million doses to the Indian government and is likely to supply another 45 million to the government in the next few months. The company confirmed it has received a fresh order for 10 million doses from the Indian government.

SII currently has an inventory of around 60 million doses at the Pune plant. The rise in exports will ensure the inventory comes down, given the offtake from the Indian government has been sluggish.