The Centre has finalised arrangements with Hyderabad-based vaccine maker, Biological-E, to reserve 30 crore Covid vaccine doses, for which it will be making an advance payment of Rs 1500 crore, Union ministry of health and family welfare announced on Thursday.
“These vaccine doses will be manufactured and stockpiled by M/s Biological-E from August-December 2021. For this purpose, the Union Ministry of Health would be making an advance payment of ₹1,500 crore to M/s Biological-E,” a statement by the ministry said.
The COVID-19 vaccine of Biological-E is currently undergoing phase-3 clinical trial after showing promising results in phase 1 and 2 trials. The vaccine being developed by Biological-E is a RBD protein sub-unit vaccine and is likely to be available in the next few months.
“The arrangement with M/s Biological-E is part of the wider endeavour of Government of India to encourage indigenous vaccine manufacturers by providing them support in Research & Development (R&D) and also financial support,” the statement read.
The arrangement with Biological-E is part of the wider endeavour of the Centre to encourage indigenous vaccine manufacturers by providing them support in research and development and also financial support, it said. The Biological-E COVID vaccine candidate has been supported by the Centre from preclinical stage to phase-3 studies.
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The Department of Biotechnology has not only provided financial assistance in terms of grant-in-aid of over Rs 100 crore but has also partnered with Biological-E to conduct all animal challenge and assay studies through its Research Institute Translational Health Science Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad.
The mission aims to bring to the citizens a safe, efficacious, affordable and accessible COVID-19 vaccine. The mission is supporting development of 5-6 COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Some of these are now closer to licensure and introduction in public health systems.
(with agency inputs)
