Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla Asks If Govt Of India Has Rs 80,000 Cr For COVID Vaccine

Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla said the government needs to have Rs 80,000 crore available over the next one year to buy and distribute COVID-19 vaccine to everyone in the country.

Adar Poonawalla/TOI

Serum Institute is one of the companies developing COVID-19 vaccine and is conducting clinical trials of AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine candidate in the country.

Tagging the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a tweet, Poonawalla asked, "Quick question; will the government of India have 80,000 crores available, over the next one year? Because that's what @MoHFW_INDIA needs, to buy and distribute the vaccine to everyone in India. This is the next concerning challenge we need to tackle. @PMOIndia."

Quick question; will the government of India have 80,000 crores available, over the next one year? Because that's what @MoHFW_INDIA needs, to buy and distribute the vaccine to everyone in India. This is the next concerning challenge we need to tackle. @PMOIndia

¡ª Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) September 26, 2020

"I ask this question, because we need to plan and guide, vaccine manufacturers both in India and overseas to service the needs of our country in terms of procurement and distribution," he added.

Last week, the search for a domestic COVID-19 vaccine in India was boosted with the Pune-based Serum Institute of India resuming the clinical trials of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The development came after an approval from the Drugs Controller General of India to resume the clinical trials, which it had ordered SII to stop last week due to the developments in the UK.

Imaqge For Representation/Reuters

Good news

The resumption of trials of the Oxford COVID-19 which will be called Covishield in India is great news for the country which is struggling to control the spread of the virus. While Covishield will be going for Phase-2 and 3 human trials, two more Covid-19 vaccines are at a clinical trial stage in the country and two indigenous vaccine candidates have completed phase one trial.

"Three vaccines are at the clinical trial stage in India. Zydus Cadila and Bharat Biotech have completed phase-I trials. Results are being analysed. They have started recruitment for the second phase," Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) DG Dr. Balram Bhargava said.