The Union government is working in at least five different ways, ranging from free vaccines to guaranteed supply, in which it can help its immediate neighbors as well as countries in West Asia, Africa and even Latin America, familiar officials said. with the plan on condition of anonymity. The idea is to take advantage of the country’s position as a world vaccine factory to consolidate diplomatic relations.
Indian companies are working on two vaccines that are currently in clinical trials. Although the deal will be primarily for these vaccines, it could also include vaccines manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, which has partnerships with three companies, including AstraZeneca.
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To be sure, key details of the plan, which are still in the works, have yet to be finalized, the officials added. For example, any platform India establishes for the supply of vaccines must abide by the licensing agreements that will decide where the vaccine can and cannot be sold.
Government officials are working on the details of the plan in consultation with the vaccine expert group headed by Dr. VK Paul of Niti Aayog. Once it is ready and approved, New Delhi will finalize deals with potential beneficiaries, the officials added.
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The countries will be carefully chosen to include key neighbors, nations where large numbers of Indians are working or studying, and those that have been of great help and support to India in international forums such as the United Nations (UN), the officials said, explaining . the five models being considered.
The first of the five models involves free distribution and could be restricted to a few immediate neighbors, such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and other Saarc countries. The officials added that Pakistan is not yet part of the thinking and that they believe Islamabad could be reliant on developing Chinese vaccines.
The second model involves the distribution of heavily subsidized vaccines to poor countries as part of India’s international obligations. Many African nations could benefit from this, officials said.
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On August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India is ready to mass-produce Covid-19 vaccines for home consumption when scientists approve the trails. “In India, not one, not two, not even three coronavirus vaccines are being tested,” he said from the walls of the Red Fort in his Independence Day speech. Last week, when Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Dhaka, he mentioned in a press conference that when India is ready with a vaccine, “our neighbors, closest friends and partners and other countries will be part of it.” .
The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, co-produced by the Serum Institute of India, is in the third or final phase of trials and is widely regarded as one of the pioneers in the global vaccine race to tackle the pandemic that has already affected 25 millions and has killed around. 840,000 people around the world. The two candidate vaccines from India, from Zydus-Cadila and Bharat biotech, have entered phase 2 of human trials.
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The third model implies that recipient countries buy the vaccines at market price but are assured of supply. “When the vaccines are ready, they will not be available on the open market, but will instead be distributed through a strict channel controlled by the government. So even if a country has trillions of dollars, it won’t be able to buy it off the shelf, ”said one of the officials, a member of the panel of vaccine experts.
Last week, a report in Nature said countries around the world have signed deals or pledged to buy around 4.5 billion doses of nine promising vaccine candidates that are being tested. Of this, developed countries have asked for at least 2 billion.
Under the fourth model, some countries will be asked to participate in the phase 3 trials of the two Indian candidates.
In the fifth model, India may offer some countries the opportunity to co-produce the two national vaccines, a move that could accelerate the production of these vaccines.
The entire exercise will be carried out under the close supervision of the expert panel headed by Dr. Paul and co-chaired by the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan. On August 7, the panel was formed by the Cabinet secretariat and its mandate is to identify the right vaccine or a bunch of vaccines to use in the country, manage finances for large-scale acquisitions and also decide the prioritization of the population group. than to receive the first doses.
While it is not clear when the first vaccines will be available in India, Indian authorities told a Parliament panel earlier this month that they are maintaining the option of an “emergency authorization” of vaccines undergoing clinical trials for their use. use.
ICMR Director General Dr Balaram Bhargava told the panel that phase 3 trials normally require at least six to nine months, but considering the immediacy involved, the government could opt for an emergency authorization.
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