Biological E is hoarding 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax, and Bharat Biotech is holding 50 million doses of Covaxin, according to the sources of the two companies.
According to Dr. Vikram Paradkar, Executive Vice-President (Manufacturing), Biological E, the company met its obligation to the Central government to manufacture 30 crore doses of Corbevax in total. Biological E successfully provided the government with 10 crore dosages in March of this year.
“Currently, we have approximately 20 crore (200 million) doses that are fully tested and ready for supply, as and when we receive orders. Additionally, we manufactured 20 crore doses equivalent to the antigen which will help us ramp up the manufacturing of the Corbevax finished product quickly,” Paradkar said.
In Houston, Texas, Biological E and the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development (Texas Children’s CVD) and Baylor College of Medicine (Baylor) worked together to produce the vaccine.
He added that, in accordance with its certified manufacturing capacity, Biological E can make and provide roughly 10 crore doses of Corbevax per month and can start with the extra vaccine supplies within eight weeks of future orders.
According to Bharat Biotech sources, the vaccine producer has more than 200 million doses of Covaxin in drug substance and more than 50 million doses of Covaxin readily available in vials. “Additional production capacity is also available to meet product demand,” they said adding fresh stocks of the vaccine are available and ready for supplies.
India’s domestic COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, was created in cooperation with the National Institute of Virology of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) (NIV). Covaxin manufacturing was stopped earlier this year due to a lack of demand, and the 50 million doses in vials are expected to expire in the early months of 2023.
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