Ukraine keen on Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, sends team to negotiate supply

Three-member delegation led by nation's health minister visits Hyderabad unit, discusses timeline for delivery of shots on priority, and prospects of a tie-up for teh firm;s intranasal vaccine

Ukraine is keen to secure doses of Covaxin for their country from Bharat Biotech, the Hyderabad based major said. A three-member high power delegation led by the country's health minister visited the Bharat Biotech's facility on Wednesday. 

The Central Asian nation with a population of 41 million people is keen to secure doses of Covaxin, the indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine which is yet to come out with phase 3 efficacy data, from Bharat Biotech, the firm said. 

"Igor Ivashchenko, Deputy Minister of Health, Ukraine, and Ivan Konovalov, Head of Trade and Economic Department, Embassy of Ukraine in India, had a discussion with Bharat Biotech’s leadership to secure the supplies of Covaxin to Ukraine," Bharat Biotech said here. The delegation was led by the country's health minister Maksym Stepanov. 

Krishna Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International Limited, said, “We discussed potential timelines for the supply of Covaxin to Ukraine on a priority and the prospects of a partnership for our BBV 154 intranasal vaccine.” 

Stepanov said that they will soon firm up the Covaxin delivery plan for mass vaccination of Ukrainian citizens and also further strengthen their partnership on the intra-nasal vaccine supplies after the initial results from its phase 1 trials. 

Ella has said that they will soon have capacities to produce 40 mn doses per month. They have commissioned two facilities and the third one is in line.