Vaccine makers ramp up production capacities despite low current demand

Booster shot, children vaccination, exports can spike demand in the future

Ahead of a much anticipated meeting to decide whether a third dose or a booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccines would be allowed in India, vaccine makers are working on continuously ramping up capacities. Apart from booster shots for sections of the population (immuno-compromised or frontline workers) once vaccination is opened up for children, demand is likely to see a rise.

Next week a meeting is expected to review the situation on allowing booster shots to at least some segments of the population. The drug regulator has not yet given a nod to start children vaccination, neither has the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India (NTAGI) come up with a strategy on paediatric vaccination. Vaccination of children, however, is expected to start soon.

The world’s largest vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) is now making 220 million doses a month of the AstraZeneca shot, the company informed. It expects to continue to produce at the same rate in the months ahead. The Pune-based vaccine maker can make 240 million monthly doses of the AstraZeneca shot--which it sells as Covishield--if need arises.

SII is also making Covovax-–the Novavax vaccine that is also under trial in children. SII expects the vaccine to be available around April and aims to submit details from clinical trials around January-February. While the company did not disclose exact production plan for Covovax, but the target is to touch 50 million monthly doses of the vaccine eventually.

Meanwhile, its peer, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech says it made 55 million doses of Covaxin in October and by December it would be making 80 million doses of their inactivated virus vaccine for Covid-19. The company said that it is on track with its expansion plan for Covaxin.

“Bharat Biotech has already activated several of its Covaxin manufacturing sites--four production lines in Hyderabad, two in Bengaluri, apart from Ankleshwar and now another one is expected to come up in Pune,” said a source close to the development.

Bharat Biotech is targeting one billion doses in annual production. This is from its own sites alone. Add to this the partner sites: Indian Immunologicals (IIL), Mumbai-based Haffkine Institute, Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Ltd (BIBCOL), Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre and Hester Biosciences.

Gujarat based Hester Biosciecnes, an animal vaccine maker, is now building a green-field plant to make Covaxin.

“By January this new BSL-3 facility should be ready, and it would be able to make up to 7 million Covaxin doses a month," said a source close to developments.

BSL refers to biological safety levels. Laboratories are categorised into four levels ranging from BSL-1 to BSL-4, depending on their abilities to handle dangerous and potentially lethal pathogens.

Another major player, Biological E, plans to roll out its protein sub-unit vaccine Corbevax later this month. Last month, the firm’s MD Mahima Datla had said Biological E was getting ready with 100 million doses for the launch. “Corbevax is in phase-3 trials. We are likely to complete all the studies by the end of November, which is when we are expecting a licence (from the drug regulator). The licence for children should follow one month later. The study in children is underway as well,” she had said.

The manufactured doses of the vaccine are currently being sent to the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Kasauli, in Himachal Pradesh for regulatory testing.

Biological E has a capacity to make one billion doses of Corbevax annually. The firm also has a capacity to make 600 million doses a year of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine, which it is contract manufacturing.

The firm can further scale this capacity up to 2 billion doses depending on market demand.

Apart from a billion doses of Corbevax and 600 million of J&J, the Hyderabad-based company has plans to make 600 million doses of an mRNA vaccine for Covid by 2022.

It has tied up with Canadian firm Providence Therapeutics. Providence will transfer technology to make the vaccine in India, with a minimum production capacity of 600 million doses in 2022 and target capacity of one billion doses.

The Hyderabad-based firm is thus working actively to ramp up capacities to make these vaccine candidates next year.

Ahmedabad-based Cadila Healthcare which has got approval for its DNA vaccine for Covid19 has indicated that it will be making 10 mn doses a month of the vaccine. Sharvil Patel, MD of Cadila Healthcare had told Business Standard earlier that they are also open to having manufacturing partners to expand the capacity.

The vaccine ZyCoV-D which is approved for use in adolescents is yet to be launched. The Centre will be buying around 10 mn doses of the vaccine.

The 15-day average for daily vaccine doses administered in 5 mn now. This is far lower than the than peak of 21 mn in September.

Demand has slightly stagnated as the case count has remained low. However, with new sections of the population likely to be opened, a surge in demand is around the corner.

Add to this demand for exports. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India has exported 65 mn doses of Covid19 vaccines this year and as local production ramps up, more exports would happen.

• SII making 220 mn doses of Covishield now in a month

• Max capacity of 240 mn doses per month

• Covovax production started – target monthly production is 50 mn doses

• Bharat Biotech made 55 mn doses of Covaxin in October

• Targets 80 mn dose production in December

• Biological E readying 100 mn doses of Corbevax for launch

• Bio E targets 1 bn annual doses or 80 mn monthly doses for Corbevax

• Zydus to make 10 mn monthly doses of ZyCoV-D

• Zydus open to partnerships for manufacturing