COURESY HT JULY 15

India key vaccine delivery hub: Govt
Rhythma Kaul

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI : India will play a crucial role in scaling up production of any Covid-19 vaccine that is developed, the head of India’s top medical research body said on Tuesday, citing the size of the domestic pharma industry and expressing hope that the country will be well poised for the production of any successful candidate, including the two being worked on in India.

The comments come weeks after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) appeared to rush the trial process of one of the Indian vaccines by setting an August 15 deadline, before widespread criticism forced officials to clarify that a letter mentioning that date was meant to speed up the regulatory approvals process rather than lay down a hard timeline.

“India is well-known as the pharmacy of the world... It also supplies 60% of the world’s vaccines, whether it be Africa, Europe, south east Asia or anywhere. So, any vaccine candidate that’s produced or developed in any part of the world will ultimately have to be scaled-up in India or by China because these are the two major vaccine producers of the world,” said Balram Bhargava, the head of ICMR, while adding that several developed nations are in touch with Indian entities for vaccine distribution.

ICMR’s Bhargava said two India-made vaccines are now being trialled with 1,000 volunteers each, and the focus will be on easing regulatory clearances for the process without compromising on scientific or ethical parameters