Bharat Biotech may begin the paediatric trials of its Covaxin, India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, from June and is expected to get its license in the third quarter of this year. the firm’s business development and international advocacy head Dr Raches Ella said on Sunday.
During a virtual seminar with the members of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) in Hyderabad, Dr Ella said that at this point. Bharat Biotech’s primary focus will be in ramping up the company’s manufacturing capacity.
Bharat Biotech is aiming at ramping up the manufacturing capacity of Covaxin to 700 million doses by the end of this year, he added.
The vaccine is co-developed by us and ICMR. The government placed an advanced purchase order of ₹1,500 crore. This will help us to increase our risk appetite. That is why we are expanding to Bangalore and Gujarat,” he said.
Besides, the business head said that Bharat Biotech is looking to get the approval from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Covaxin by the end of the third or fourth quarter.
Acquiring the approval of WHO is a crucial step as it has great impact on international travel. As Covaxin is not included in WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL), those who are fully vaccinated with both the doses of Covaxin may not be allowed take an international flight.