SII to produce an additional 100 million COVID-19 vaccine dosages for low-income countries

As race for COVID-19 vaccine continues, Serum Institute of India (SII) anunced that it would produce an additional of 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for India and or countries in collaboration with Gavi, Vaccine Alliance and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. SII anunced that se doss would be made available across world to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) by 2021. Keeping SII's previous goal in mind, a total of 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines would be produced through this partnership. 

"Through avid support of Gavi and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we will w manufacture and deliver up to an additional 100 million doses of immugenic and safe-proven future COVID-19 vaccines to India and low- and middle-income countries in 2021. This association is in line with our efforts to see that future vaccines reaches remotest part of world providing full immunisation cover in a bid to contain spread of pandemic," Adar Poonawalla, CEO of SII said.

Read: COVID-19 Vaccine: Serum Institute Gets DCGI d To Resume Phase Two, Three Trials

Read: vavax Revises COVID-19 Vaccine Deal With Serum Institute; Aims For 2 Billion Doses

As per company's statement, vaccines licensed from AstraZeneca and vavax, if made available, will have a ceiling price of US$3 per dose. vavax had signed a deal with Serum Institute in August, to produce a minimum of one billion doses of its vaccine candidate. On or hand, collaboration between Gavi, SII, and Gates Foundation is being seen as a way to accelerate development as well as global access of COVID-19 vaccines.

Serum Insitute of India is world's largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced and sold globally which about more than 1.3 billion doses. Vaccines manufactured by Serum are certified by World Health Organization, Geneva and are being used in approximately 170 countries across globe. As per latest reports, SII is all set to restart its phase two and three clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccine after getting d from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

Read: DCGI Orders Serum Institute Of India To Suspend Recruitment For Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

Read: 'Won’t Be Eugh Covid Vaccines For Everyone Till 2024': Serum Institute's Adar Poonawalla

(With ncy Inputs)