Serum Institute will manufacture Covishield and other formulation from Novavax Inc. (Representative)
Several Indian pharmaceutical companies are working to develop or manufacture at least eight anti-COVID-19 formulations as the world’s largest vaccine producer prepares for a massive response to the coronavirus pandemic.
India, which has been hit hard by the pandemic with nearly 10 million infections, the second highest in the world, is focusing on affordable vaccines rather than expensive messenger RNA injections from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc.
Here’s a look at companies that are developing or manufacturing vaccines in India:
Serum Institute of India (SII) – The world’s largest vaccine producer will make Covishield from AstraZeneca Plc and another formulation developed by its American rival Novavax Inc. Organizations like the GAVI vaccine group and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are backing both candidates for large-scale distribution in all the world.
SII has secured funding from GAVI and the Gates Foundation to deliver up to 200 million doses of both vaccines to India and other low- and middle-income countries.
AstraZeneca said in June that it had authorized IBS to supply 1 billion doses of its vaccine to more than 60 low- and middle-income countries. IBS is also working on in-house vaccine development and has partnered with American biotech firm Codagenix and Austrian Themis to potentially manufacture their COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
IBS has already manufactured and stored more than 50 million doses of COVISHIELD and aims to increase production to 400 million doses by mid-2021. It has already applied for emergency use authorization of the vaccine in India.
The company could sell the vaccine for 250 rupees ($ 3.39) per dose to the Indian government and 1,000 rupees in the country’s private market. By comparison, Pfizer’s supply deal with the US government stands at $ 39 for a two-dose course, while Moderna plans to charge between $ 25 and $ 37 per dose.
Bharat Biotech – Based in the city of Hyderabad in South India, the company is developing a full virion inactivated vaccine called COVAXIN in partnership with the state Indian Council of Medical Research.
Recently, it applied for emergency use authorization in the country and is in talks with more than 10 countries in South America, Asia and Eastern Europe to sell it there.
It has not issued any production or price forecast.
The company is also conducting preclinical studies of another vaccine with Thomas Jefferson University in the United States.
Biological E. Ltd – The company began phase I and phase II trials of its candidate vaccine in November. It is being developed in partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Dynavax Technologies.
The Hyderabad-based company’s trial will test two doses of the vaccine in around 360 healthy subjects and expects to see results by February.
Cadila Healthcare Ltd – Zydus Cadila is developing a native DNA-based vaccine, ZyCoV-D. Zydus plans to complete late-stage testing for ZyCoV-D in February or March, and could produce up to 100 million doses a year initially.
Hetero Biopharma – Another Hyderabad-based private pharmaceutical company, Hetero, will manufacture more than 100 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine per year, under an agreement signed with Russia’s Direct Investment Fund. (RDIF)
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd – The drugmaker is conducting Sputnik V clinical trials in India and expects late-stage trials to be completed in March 2021. It will also distribute the finished vaccine in India once approved, but there is no current plan to produce it.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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