Serum Institute $100 Million Investment On
Potential COVID-19 Vaccine
According to a company official at the Serum Institute of India, the institute is investing $100 million on a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The University of Oxford is developing this vaccine candidate.
To ensure equitable supply of the AZD1222 vaccine doses to India as well as low-and-middle-income countries, the Pune-based company, Serum Institute of India has partnered with AstraZeneca.
The CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), Adar Poonawalla said, “We plan to start production in two months and our manufacturing facility is ready. More than $100 million is being spent on this facility. The vaccines will not be distributed anywhere else in the world or in India until the trials are completed successfully for safety and efficacy. We will stockpile at personal risk after we start making a few millions of doses.”
He said that it is a bit early to comment on a specific number when asked when and how much doses India is likely to get in the first phase.
He added, “However, as a requirement of the Government of India, India will gain access to the doses once the vaccine trials succeed. If the substantial volumes go to
India, we are certain that everybody will respect it.”Recently, Poonawalla said on SII’s endeavor to develop a vaccine with US-based firm Codagenix that they hope to progress to the human trial phase by September/October as the firm is undergoing pre-clinical trials (animal trial phase) now.
He had said, “To help combat the novel coronavirus, making the vaccine over the next 1.5-2 years is the aim. We are positive that we will be able to provide an effective and viable vaccine for mass use with the combined efforts of our partner Codagenix.”
The firm is also working with Austria’s Themis and other two vaccine candidates, besides, Oxford and Codagenix.
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Serum Institute $100 Million Investment On Potential COVID-19 Vaccine
