Centre lobbied at WTO for access to foreign vaccines, but sat on licensing Covaxin for months

The Centre took more than six months to put its act together on the domestic front and shortlisted three PSUs only by April 2021 for the technology transfer of Covaxin.

s the delayed response to ramp up vaccine production by the Centre a reason why India is failing to timely vaccinate its youth? India Today TV has learned that the Government of India tied up with South Africa in October last year at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to propose relaxation in norms to ensure quick access to vaccines for developing countries.

On the other hand, the Centre took more than six months to put its act together on the domestic front and shortlisted three PSUs only by April 2021 for the technology transfer of Covaxin, which has been developed by the Bharat Biotech and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).


In October last year, India had teamed up with South Africa to seek a waiver from certain provisions of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS Agreement) with a view to facilitating wider access to technologies necessary for the production of vaccines and medicines.

In its appeal to the TRIPS Council, the Government of India had argued that intellectual property rights may hinder the rapid scaling up of manufacturing of affordable vaccines and medicines to patients, particularly in the developing world.

Licensing at last
While the Centre lobbied to get its hands on foreign vaccines, it did little to ramp up the production of homegrown vaccines. Since Serum Institute of India's Covishield was developed under the international partnership, invoking compulsory licensing involved legalities.

Also Read | Delhi runs dry of Covaxin stock for 18-44 age group, 100 centres to remain shut

However, there was no such issue with Covaxin. Serum Institute's capacity to manufacture 5 crore doses/month and Bharat Biotech's 90 doses/month were no match to India's mammoth vaccine demand. But Centre did not invoke compulsory licensing to facilitate its transfer of technology to allow eligible companies to produce the vaccine.

It was only after Covid-19 cases started spiraling in the first week of April that the Modi government began putting its act together and shortlisted three PSUs by mid-April for technology transfer.

Haffkine Corporation, a state PSE under the Government of Maharashtra will have a capacity of 2 crore doses/month by September. Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), Hyderabad, a facility under National Dairy Development Board and Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Limited (BIBCOL) Bulandshahr, under Department of Biotechnology, Government of India will also be supported to prepare their facility to provide 1-1.5 crore doses/month by August-September 2021.

CMs demand more vaccine production
Over the past 24 hours, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh chief ministers have appealed to the Prime Minister to allow private companies to ramp up Covaxin production. In April, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had raised a similar demand in his letter to PM Narendra Modi.

Also Read | Parliament panel had asked govt to ramp up vaccine production in March

Prof Gaurav Vallabh, Congress spokesperson told India Today TV, “When the entire world was booking vaccines last year, our government was asking us to clap, our Prime Minister was saying we have defeated coronavirus. We have missed many trains and today if we increase capacity, it will not have an instant result. Due to this, we are seeing bodies floating in Ganga river today.”

Contesting the allegations, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “Biosafety level 3 is required to contain the virus, which is available with Bharat Biotech since the formula is based on an alive virus, ICMR is also in talks with few other companies to scale up production.”

Patra added, “The Centre has allocated Rs 200 crore for supporting the augmentation of capacities for manufacturing. India will be producing 10 crore Covaxin doses per month by end of this year.”

https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/story/centre-lobbied-at-wto-for-foreign-vaccines-but-sat-on-covaxin-1801942-2021-05-13

Tags : #CentralGovernment #Covaxin #ForeignCovidVaccines #ICMR #BharatBiotech #SerumInstitute

About the Author


Team Medicircle

Related Stories

Loading Please wait...

-Advertisements-




Trending Now

Dr Raj Nagarkar Becomes India’s 1st Oncologist on Cambridge Medical Robotics’ Advisory BoardOctober 09, 2024
Workplace Stress and Burnout Rate Reaching Critical Levels for Indian Employees, Warn ExpertsOctober 09, 2024
Are We Really Living Longer? The Surprising Reality of Life Expectancy TodayOctober 09, 2024
Could Your Irregular Heartbeat Be Reversible? How New Research is Redefining Atrial Fibrillation CareOctober 09, 2024
Defying the Odds: The Innovative Treatment Prolonging Life in Advanced Breast CancerOctober 09, 2024
Medanta Doctors Recognised in Stanford University's Global Rankings of Top 2% ScientistsOctober 09, 2024
Vector-Borne Diseases in India: 2024 OverviewOctober 09, 2024
What Makes The Mind Hear Voices: The Truth Behind Hearing Voices in SchizophreniaOctober 08, 2024
Preventing Pregnancy Complications: Why a Healthy Weight Before Conception MattersOctober 08, 2024
Are Your Favorite Beverages Putting You at Risk of Stroke? Here’s What the Latest Research SaysOctober 08, 2024
Sharp Sight Eye Hospitals Emphasizes Importance of Regular Eye Checkups with New Campaign Featuring Shishir SharmaOctober 08, 2024
Microplastics in Bloodstream: The Hidden Link to Cardiovascular and Neurological DisordersOctober 08, 2024
India Joins International Medical Device Regulators Forum: A Leap Toward Global Health CollaborationOctober 05, 2024
The Science of Overeating: Why You Can’t Stop at Just One BiteOctober 05, 2024
The Toxic Truth: How Alcohol Fuels Six Deadly CancersOctober 05, 2024
Lenacapavir: India’s Pharmaceutical Giants to Produce a Twice-a-Year Pill Poised to Rewrite HIV PreventionOctober 04, 2024
Can Ending Smoking by 2050 Really Save 1.2 Million Lives? New Lancet Study RevealsOctober 04, 2024
Colon Cancer Crisis: Why It’s Attacking Younger GenerationsOctober 04, 2024
Eye Health Program for Low-Income Residents Launched in Hingoli, MaharashtraOctober 04, 2024
Are we on the path to end AIDS by 2030?October 03, 2024