WHY INDIAN CORONAVIRUS VACCINE WILL NOT LAUNCH ON AUGUST 15? BHARAT BIOTECH EXPLAINS!

Bharat Biotech had initially fast- tracked the process of producing an Indian indigenous vaccine. Although many social media posts claimed that the vaccine is going to be launched on August 15th, Bharat Biotech clarified that it was not a deadline.

Recently, the pharma firm spoke about the current status.  "The current pandemic is putting pressure on the company to come out with a vaccine quickly, but we cannot rush as safety and quality are paramount,"  Krishna Ella, Chairman & MD, Bharat Biotech International told Business Standard. 

The firm has completed phase-1 clinical trials for its vaccine candidate. "There is a tremendous pressure on us to develop the vaccine. But for us, safety and quality are paramount. We don't want to kill more people with the wrong vaccine," Ella told in an interaction with members of the Chennai International Centre on 'Covid-19 Endgame Scenarios' on Saturday.

"We want to do clinical research of the highest standards. We have been monitored by international agencies and communities. It's a matter of prestige for the country and for us. We won't be shortsighted on research and will produce the best quality vaccine," said Ella, while declining to comment about the target date for launching the vaccine.

The chairman also explained how the time taken for clinical trials to complete will depend on the time frame and varies from one vaccine to another. He explained how Rotavirus takes six months to complete one phase as opposed to COVAXIN which took only 20 days for phase-1 and has entered the second phase.

"We are not less than GSK or Sanofi (the global majors)," he said and added that many people are skeptical about the capabilities of Indian companies. T

He went on to say that the key is to evolve a strategy for attacking the pandemic.

"The pandemic has got so much attention not because of the deaths it is causing, but because it has destroyed the economy. That is why every politician and bureaucrat is talking about it. More people die in road accidents than Covid," Ella said, adding that people should not get paranoid, as it will lead to other problems.

Ella claimed that not a single rupee has been taken from the government and all the investment has been made from the firm’s own money. "This is what an Indian company can do. For this (Covid) vaccine also we will make it very affordable and accessible for everyone.”