Hyderabad: Envoys of 64 countries visit Covid vaccine makers in city

Hyderabad: Envoys of 64 countries on Wednesday visited the facilities of Bharat Biotech and Biological E, which are developing vaccines for coronavirus.

After landing in Hyderabad by a special Air India flight, the Ambassadors and High Commissioners from the countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania reached Genome Valley on the city outskirts to visit the two companies.

The visit by the heads of foreign missions was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and was part of India’s efforts to develop partnerships for the manufacture and delivery of vaccines.

Last month, the diplomats were briefed on trials of vaccines underway in the country and efforts to manufacture and deliver the doses.Officials said the diplomats were divided into two batches and they went around the two companies to see for themselves the facilities developed for research and manufacturing of vaccines.

Top officials of both the companies briefed the envoys about the progress made so far in the development of the vaccines and the rollout plans by both the companies after their vaccines got the approval from regulators.

At Bharat Biotech, the delegation was briefed about the company’s vaccine development programme by Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, spearheading Covaxin research, development, clinical trials and production teams.

The delegates were explained about Bharat Biotech’s research process, manufacturing capabilities, expertise through virtual and physical tours of the facilities.The envoys voiced their appreciation of the company’s work of national and global public health significance.

Covaxin, India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, is developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Institute of Virology (NIV). This indigenous, inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech’s BSL-3 (Biosafety Level 3) bio-containment facility.

Covaxin is a highly purified and inactivated 2 dose SARS-CoV2 vaccine, manufactured in a vero cell manufacturing platform with an excellent safety track record of more than 300 million doses.

According to Bharat Biotech, Covaxin has been evaluated in approximately 1000 subjects in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials, with promising safety and immunogenicity results.

The Phase 3 human clinical trials of the vaccine began in November, involving 26,000 volunteers across India. This is India’s first and only Phase 3 efficacy study for a Covid-19 vaccine, and the largest phase 3 efficacy trial ever conducted for any vaccine in India.

“The development and clinical evaluation of COVAXIN marks a significant milestone for novel vaccinology in India. Covaxin has garnered interest from several countries worldwide for supplies and introduction,” said Suchitra Ella, Joint Managing Director of Bharat Biotech while addressing the foreign envoys.