Bharat Biotech setting up four vaccine manufacturing facilities

Bharat Biotech on Monday said the firm is setting up four vaccine manufacturing facilities with a combined capacity of 700 million doses per annum

Bharat Biotech, which has been accorded Emergency Use Authorisation from the drug regulator for its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, on Monday said they are setting up four vaccine manufacturing facilities with a combined capacity of 700 million doses per annum.

Denying allegations that the city-based vaccine maker lacks data of Covaxin, Krishna Ella, chairman of Bharat Biotech, said sufficient data has already been revealed and is available on the net.

"We have four facilities coming up. We are planning around 200 million doses (per annum) in Hyderabad, 500 million doses in other cities.

By 2021 we will have 7,600 million doses capacity... as we speak we have 20 million doses, he told reporters.

He said Covaxin is currently undergoing phase 3 clinical trials with 24,000 volunteers.

"I think we are the only company I can categorically say has got extensive research experience and extensive publication peer reviewed journals.

Many people say that I am not transparent in my data.

I think people should have the patience to read internet and look at what our articles are," he said on the allegations of data availability.

He said Indian companies are being targeted as inferior ones and said his companys work is no less than Pfizer, which also came out with a vaccine for coronavirus.