At a time when scientists across the world are on research to produce vaccine against the coronavirus (SARS-COV2), a youth in Odisha’s Bargarh district claims to have made it.
This came to light following a major crackdown by a joint team led by Sambalpur and Bargarh Drug Inspectors on Friday. The team seized a huge cache of spurious Covid-19 vaccines from the manufacturing unit at Risida village under Bheden block.
The accused 32-year-old youth Prahallad Bisi is a Class-VII pass-out.
Reports said Bisi was earlier involved in production of an infertility drug under the banner of Anatha Pharmaceuticals Ltd. The medicine under brand name ‘Ovu Stop’ had composition of substances like tetanus toxid, sephardic sodium and castor oil. Without mandatory regulatory approval and registration, Bisi used to allegedly manufacture and sell the medicine at an MRP of Rs 2,500 per vial. Apparently to seize the opportunity of demand for Covid-19 vaccine, Bisi started manufacturing duplicate vaccine with some powdered substance and colouring agents. The vaccine vial had ‘Covid-19 Corona Vaccine’ written on it.
Three days ago, he sent a mail to Bargarh Drug Inspector Sasmita Behuria seeking permission for sale of the ‘vaccine’.
As Bisi claimed that he has produced the vaccine without any lab test, the Drug Inspector asked her Sambalpur counterpart to look into the matter. Sambalpur Drug Inspector Samir Mallick reached out to him for an inspection. Failing to get any satisfactory reply from him, Mallick seized all the vaccines and medicines from the unit.
The seized items have been sent to a laboratory in Bhubaneswar for test.