Pharma industry rebuts Siddaramaiah's claims on Covid vax, heart attacks

Leaders of the Indian pharmaceutical industry and scientific community on Thursday strongly objected to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s claim, linking sudden deaths in Hassan district to potential side effects of Covid-19 vaccines, saying that such statements could fuel “vaccine hesitancy”.

 

The industry labelled these statements as “misinformed” and “damaging to public trust.”

 

In a post on social media platform X on July 1, Siddaramaiah claimed that over 20 people had died of heart attacks in Hassan district within a month. He announced the formation of an expert committee led by Dr. CN Manjunath, Director of the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, to study these sudden deaths.

 

The chief minister said the government was probing if Covid vaccines -- which were “hastily approved” during the pandemic -- could be among the reasons behind these incidents.

 

His remarks, which also took a political swipe at the BJP, sparked concern across scientific and pharmaceutical circles, who cautioned that such statements risked fuelling “vaccine hesitancy”.

 

Pharma Leaders Call Out Misinformation

 

In a rare show of solidarity industry leaders from Diliip Shanghvi of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries to Samir Mehta of Torrent Pharma to Kiran Mazumdar Shaw of Biocon and Satish Reddy of Dr Reddy's Laboratories and Pankaj Patel of Zydus Lifesciences came out with public statements on social media websites voicing their concerns and in support of scientific credibility of Indian vaccines.

 

Dilip Shanghvi, Managing Director of the country’s largest drug firm Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, urged caution before assigning blame without evidence saying, “The deaths in Hassan are tragic and warrant thorough investigation. However, linking them to Covid-19 vaccines without scientific evidence is incorrect and misleading. India’s vaccine approval process is science-driven and robust.”

 

A usually reticent Samir Mehta, chairman of Torrent Pharma that has recently inked one of the largest drug deals in the country emphasized India’s role as a global vaccine landscape saying, “India has earned global recognition as the Pharmacy of the World, supplying safe and effective vaccines to over 90 countries. Indian-made vaccines uphold the highest standards of safety, efficacy and innovation. Let’s not allow misinformation to erode trust in science or India’s healthcare ecosystem.”

 

 

The industry felt that “misinformation and distortion of facts” endangers public health.

 

Satish Reddy, Chairman of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, said, “India-made vaccines are safe, effective and trusted in 90+ countries, backed by the WHO. At a time when India is seen as a vaccine leader, we must build trust in science—not doubt it. Public health must stay above politics.”

 

Pankaj Patel, Chairman of Zydus Lifesciences which is a major vaccine player in the country, pointed out that vaccines helped prevent widespread mortality. “Several scientific studies globally and in India have shown that the risk of heart attack or myocarditis is higher after SARS-CoV-2 infection than after vaccination. A Lancet study estimated that India averted almost 3.4 million deaths due to vaccination in 2021 alone. Vaccines save lives.”

 

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, executive chairperson of Biocon, rejected the claim that Indian vaccines were hastily approved. “Covid-19 vaccines developed in India were approved under Emergency Use Authorisation following rigorous, globally aligned safety protocols. Suggesting they were ‘hastily’ approved is factually incorrect and contributes to public misinformation,” she said.

 

Voicing the industry’s concerns, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance which represents research driven drug firms in the country said that they are 'deeply concerned' by the attempts to denigrate the integrity of Indian drugs.

 

Sudarshan Jain, secretary general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, issued a sharp rebuttal stating “Misinformation and distortion of facts endanger public health and undermine the trust built on science and patient care globally. Indian vaccines were rigorously tested as per regulatory processes and have played a crucial role globally.”

 

On X, he added, “Deeply concerned by attempts to denigrate the integrity of Indian drugs. Our vaccines reached nearly 100 countries and adhered to global standards. Let’s preserve the decades of trust built on science and patient-centricity.”

 

Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India added, “In light of recent concerns, we affirm: Two large-scale studies by ICMR and AIIMS, as cited by the Ministry of Health have found no link between COVID-19 vaccines and sudden deaths. The vaccines are safe and scientifically validated.”

 

In a formal statement issued on Thursday, the Indian Vaccine Manufacturers Association (IVMA) reassured the public saying, “Covid-19 vaccines manufactured in India were developed with the highest safety standards and approved after extensive clinical trials. They played a critical role in controlling the pandemic in India and worldwide. We reaffirm the safety and efficacy of these vaccines.”

 

The statement also highlighted India’s global contribution through the Vaccine Maitri initiative and emphasized that all vaccine batches undergo safety testing by the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Kasauli.

 

Health authorities, including the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and AIIMS, have reinforced the industry’s stance. According to a PIB statement issued on July 2, two major studies from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and AIIMS have found no causal link between COVID-19 vaccines and sudden deaths among young adults.

 

Conducted across 47 hospitals in 19 states between 2021 and 2023, the ICMR study concluded that vaccination does not increase the risk of unexplained sudden deaths. The ongoing AIIMS study similarly identified heart attacks due to pre-existing conditions, genetic predispositions, and lifestyle choices as the primary cause of such deaths.