No plan to manufacture Covid-19 vaccine in India during pandemic: Pfizer

Company was the first vaccine maker to apply for an emergency-use authorisation in India.

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer on Thursday said it did not plan to manufacture its Covid-19 vaccine in its India during the pandemic, keeping its supply lines limited to the US and Europe.

Media reports on Wednesday said that Pfizer, an American company, had told the Indian government it would produce the vaccine locally if it got faster regulatory clearance and freedom on pricing and exports.

“Pfizer has created two dedicated supply lines with established vaccine capabilities – one each in the US and Europe – to exclusively manufacture this vaccine for use across the world. This will continue to be the company’s strategy for the time being. At this time we are not in discussions for any additional local manufacturing for this vaccine,” said a company spokesperson.

The spokesperson said once the pandemic supply phase is over, Pfizer "will certainly evaluate all additional opportunities available".

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said on Wednesday that data from Israel suggests that their Covid-19 vaccine is 94 per cent effective in preventing asymptomatic infections, implying the jab can reduce transmission. Unvaccinated individuals were 44 times more likely to develop symptomatic Covid-19 and 29 times more likely to die from the disease than those vaccinated .

Pfizer was the first vaccine maker to apply for an emergency-use authorisation in India. The country’s drug regulator wanted the company to conduct clinical study on the Indian population to establish the vaccine’s immune response and safety.

Pfizer pulled out its application then.

The company spokesperson: “We remain committed to working towards equitable and affordable access for our Covid-19 vaccine for people around the world including in India, and we welcome opportunities to collaborate with the government to fight Covid-19.”