Bharat Biotech slows down Covaxin production as it sees decrease in demand

'For the coming period, the company will focus on pending facility maintenance, process and facility optimization activities,' the Hyderabad-based company said

Bharat Biotech on Friday said that it is slowing down Covaxin production across sites as it sees decrease in demand. The company added that it has finished supply obligations to various procurement agencies. 

"For the coming period, the company will focus on pending facility maintenance, process and facility optimization activities," the company said. 

As all existing facilities were repurposed for the manufacture of Covaxin, with continuous production during the past year, to meet the public health emergency of COVID-19, these upgrades were due, it said. 

In December, Serum Institute of India had cut down Covishield production by half after it piled up inventory of 250 mn finished doses and 250 mn bulk doses. 
During the recent WHO post EUL inspection, Bharat Biotech agreed with the WHO team on the scope of the planned improvement activities and indicated that they will be executed as soon as practical, Bharat Biotech said. 

"The company was also pleased to learn from the WHO, that the necessary optimization work “Does not indicate a change in the risk-benefit ratio (for Covaxin) and the data, available to WHO, indicates the vaccine is effective and no safety concern exists”, " the company said in a statement. 

This risk assessment by the WHO is based on the supply of hundreds of millions of doses of Covaxin globally. 

More than 1 million doses of Covaxin were introduced under clinical trial mode, where safety of subjects was actively documented. 

Finally, Covaxin was evaluated in around 30,000 subjects in more than 10 controlled clinical trials, resulting in more than 15 publications. Bharat Biotech is working to further improvements and upgrades to ensure that the production of Covaxin continues to meet ever increasing global regulatory requirements. 

"Since patient safety is the primary consideration for any new vaccine, there can be no compromises in meeting operational excellence objectives," company said. 

For the millions who have received Covaxin, the vaccine certificates issued still stand valid as there is no impact on efficacy and safety of the vaccine, it said. 

Bharat Biotech is fully committed to implementing the facility improvements and upgrades to ensure that the production of Covaxin meets all global regulatory requirements, the Hyderabad based firm added.