PM visits facilities of Zydus Cadila, Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute of India in three cities
As part of his effort to review the progress of Covid-19 vaccine development, its launch and distribution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited major vaccine manufacturing institutions — Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech facility in Hyderabad and Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune — and interacted with the scientists there to get “a first-hand perspective of the preparations, challenges and roadmap in India’s endeavour to vaccinate its citizens”.
Modi began his day-long three-city tour in the morning by flying first to Ahmedabad and thereafter heading to Zydus Cadila’s Vaccine Technology Centre located at Changodar Park, where he went around the place and interacted with the team of scientists behind the ongoing vaccine development effort “to know more about the indigenous DNA based vaccine being developed there”. Zydus Cadila is developing its Covid-19 vaccine candidate ZyCoV-D.
In a tweet that he put after his visit to Zydus Cadila’s Vaccine Technology Centre, Modi said: “Visited the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad to know more about the indigenous DNA based vaccine being developed by Zydus Cadila. I compliment the team behind this effort for their work. The Government of India is actively working with them to support them in this journey”.
Having spent nearly an hour at Zydus Biotech Park, Modi flew to Hyderabad Bharat Biotech facility at Hyderabad, where the indigenous vaccine Covaxin is being developed.
“At the Bharat Biotech facility in Hyderabad, was briefed about their indigenous COVID-19 vaccine. Congratulated the scientists for their progress in the trials so far. Their team is closely working with ICMR to facilitate speedy progress,” Modi tweeted after his visit to the Bharat Biotech facility.
During the last leg of his three-city tour -seen as a crucial stock-taking exercise undertaken by the Prime Minister in the run-up to the launch of vaccine and distribution of vaccine sometime in the early next year, Modi flew from Ahmedabad to Pune where he landed at around 4.30 pm. From the Pune airport, the Prime Minister proceeded to the Serum Institute of India (SII) by helicopter.
At the SII, Modi interacted with the team members behind the vaccine development, who shared details about their progress about the work done by them so far and plans to further ramp up vaccine manufacturing.
“Had a good interaction with the team at Serum Institute of India. They shared details about their progress so far on how they plan to further ramp up vaccine manufacturing. Also took a look at their manufacturing facility,” the Prime Minister said in a tweet, after winding up his visit to SII.
Ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to three vaccine manufacturing units, the PMO had said in a statement on Friday: “As India enters a decisive phase of the fight against Covid-19, PM Modi’s visit to these facilities and discussions with the scientists will help him get a first hand perspective of the preparations, challenges and roadmap in India’s endeavour to vaccinate its citizens”.
Meanwhile, talking to media persons after the Prime Minister’s visit to his Institute, SII Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla disclosed late in the evening that the Centre had indicated that it would need 300 -400 million Covidshield doses by July, 2021 from his organisation as part of the Government’s combat strategy against the Covid-19 spread across the country.
“As of now, we don’t have anything in writing from the Government of India as to how many doses they will purchase. But, the Union Health Ministry has told us that it would need 300 to 400 million doses by July, 2021,” Poonawalla said.
Earlier, at the SII, the Prime Minister was received by founder-Chairman Cyrus Poonawalla, Adar and his wife Natasha, who is Executive Director of SII and Chairperson of the Villoo Poonawalla Foundation.
Maintaining that SII’s priority for SII is India, Adar Poonawala said: “Covidshield vaccines will be distributed initially in India, then we will look at the COVAX countries which are mainly in Africa. The UK and European markets are being taken care of by AstraZeneca and Oxford. Our priority is India and COVAX countries”.
Replying to a question, Poonawalla said: “We are in the process of applying for emergency use authorization of Covishield in the next two weeks. The SII is sending the results of trials to the Drug Controller of India and every protocol would be followed and there would not be any short-cuts”.
On the Covidshield being manufactured from at SII with a masterseed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca, Poonawalla said: “It is a very good vaccine…There has been zero hospitalisation (during the trials). The virus in the system gets reduced to 60 per cent. There are vaccines that protect you but you can transmit, but in Covidshield global trials, we have seen that infected persons were not infecting others. Hence the sterilising immunity is good”.
Asked whether the production and implementation plan was discussed with the Prime Minister, Poonawalla said. “The Prime Minister has very good knowledge on vaccines and vaccine production. There was very little needed to be explained to him. We were amazed at what he knew,” he said.
Alluding to the issue of ramping up vaccine production, Poonawala: “We have built the largest pandemic level facility in Pune and our new campus in Mandri. We also showed that to the Prime Minister with a tour around the facility and a lot of detailed discussions of the plans ahead.”
On the results arrived during the trials, Poonawalla said:” At the moment the trials are enough for the efficacy….There was a bit of confusion in the communication which we will explain in the coming days. We are looking to conduct trials for the under-18 age group after a few months”.
