SII has 50 million dosages of Covid-19 vaccine ready; awaits regulatory approval

The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer by volume, has already produced around 50 million dosages of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine ''Covishield'' and plans to scale it up to 100 million by March next year, a top company official said today.

SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said the scaling up of the Covid-19 vaccine would depend on the overall demand from the Indian government.

He said SII, which has signed an agreement with the Bangladesh government to supply the vaccines, is waiting for the nod from Indian drug sector regulator for the vaccine which it manufactured in collaboration with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.

"We have already manufactured 40-50 million dosages of the vaccine. The rollout of the vaccine is expected to be a bit slow in the initial phase due to logistical issues and is expected to pick up once things get sorted," Poonawalla said.

He said the company plans to ramp up the vaccine production to 100 million dosages per month by March next year.

Poonawalla said the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine could be approved in the UK soon.

By next month, the vaccine can also be approved in India, he added.

He said India would get most of the vaccines produced next year with some of it also going to other markets as part of a global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for all countries, regardless of income level.

"Some shortage can be expected in the first six months. Things will ease up by August-September as other manufacturers will also start supplies," he added.

Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, "We are all waiting for the approvals to come. We know that SII has developed capacities which can cater to India as well as many other countries through various global associations."