More than 60 heads of foreign missions who traveled to Hyderabad on Wednesday to visit two biotech companies working on Covid-19 vaccines were briefed by Bharat Biotech President Krishna Ella about the development of Covaxin.
During her presentation to high-level diplomats, Ella noted that the medical industry is working to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of making vaccines available to humanity.
Covaxin in the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine from India developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) -National Institute of Virology (NIV). Bharat Biotech recently began phase III trials for Covaxin, which appears to have been largely safe and significantly triggered the immune response necessary to fight infection.
She also told mission chiefs that 33% of the world’s vaccines are produced in Hyderabad’s Genome Valley, a high-tech business district that spans 600 square kilometers. Hyderabad also has the largest Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -approved vaccine facility in the United States, he said.
The diplomats will also visit Biological E, whose vaccine candidate is scheduled to begin the first phase I and II trials.
The diplomats’ visit to Hyderabad is part of India’s efforts to develop partnerships for the manufacture and delivery of vaccines. It is also a follow-up to the Nov. 6 briefing for the diplomatic corps in New Delhi on ongoing vaccine trials in the country and efforts to manufacture and administer the doses.
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The diplomats, who flew to the southern city on a special Air India flight with all the precautions related to Covid-19, come from different parts of the world. In addition to representatives from countries in the region such as Afghanistan and Bhutan, the group included South Korean envoy Shin Bong-kil and heads of mission from African countries.
“More than 60 heads of mission are being brought to major biotech companies in Hyderabad. This is the first visit of its kind and will be followed by trips to facilities in other cities, ”said a person familiar with planning the visit.
Others familiar with the developments said that India has been contributing significantly to the global efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic and there is a lot of interest in Indian vaccine development and manufacturing efforts.
The November 6 briefing, led by Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, was attended by envoys and senior officials from the diplomatic corps. Niti Aayog member VK Paul, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, and other senior officials were part of the briefing, which was one of the key Covid-19-related interactions handled by the Foreign Ministry. .
Given India’s position as the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, many countries, especially developing countries, are looking to New Delhi to help them with dosing. In the midst of the pandemic, India quickly shipped essential medicines and equipment to some 150 countries around the world.
India is looking for partners to co-produce vaccines so they can be made faster and distributed on a larger scale. New Delhi could offer free supply or trial partnerships to countries in South Asia, Europe, West Asia, Africa and Latin America for the vaccine, to ensure that they can adequately protect their populations from Covid-19.
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