Bharat Biotech & SII issue joint statement; pledge global access to COVID-19 vaccines

The Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech on Tuesday in a joint statement communicated their pledge towards a smooth rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to India and the World. According to the statement, SII chief Adar Poonawala and Bharat Biotech CEO and MD Dr. Krishna Ella, jointly on behalf of the two companies, communicated their combined intent to develop manufacture and supply the COVID-19 vaccines for India and abroad.

Serum Institute-Bharat Biotech issue joint statement

They said, "the more important task in front of them is saving the lives and livelihoods of populations in India and the world. Vaccines are a global public health good and they have the power to save lives and accelerate the return to economic normalcy at the earliest."

"Now that two COVID-19 vaccines have been issued EUA (emergency use authorization) in India, the focus is on manufacturing, supply and distribution, such that populations that need it the most receive high quality, safe and efficacious vaccines. Both our companies are fully engaged in this activity and consider it our duty to the nation and the world at large to ensure a smooth rollout of vaccines. Each of our Companies continue their COVID-19 vaccines development activities as planned," the statement said.

Earlier in the day, Adar Poonawalla also clarified that export of vaccines is permitted to all countries. On Monday, The Associated Press had quoted Adar Poonawalla as saying that India had barred the export of Oxford-AstraZeneca Coronavirus vaccine for several months. 

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Vaccine row erupts

The joint statement comes after a vaccine row erupted after Adar Poonawalla, in an interview to a private news channel on Sunday, said that only three vaccines passed all the scientific evaluations -- Pfizer-BioNTech, Modera and Oxford-AstraZeneca -- and that while the others were safe, "safe like water", their effectiveness had not yet been evaluated. To this, Bharat Biotech's Krishna Ella without naming Adar Poonawalla on Monday said, "We do 200% honest clinical trials and yet we receive backlash. If I am wrong, tell me. Some companies have branded me like water." 

India's drugs regulator DCGI on Sunday approved Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute, as well as indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country, paving the way for a massive inoculation drive.

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