Repurposing capacity for Covid-19 vaccine, say Indian pharma firms

As clinical trials for a Covid-19 vaccine get underway, Indian pharma companies are either repurposing existing capacity or sacrificing capacity for new vaccine products under development.

Speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Life Science Conclave 2020, Suresh Jadhav, executive director of the Serum Institute of India (SII), said the biotechnology company has already put in place an expansion plan for new products in the pipeline. “Around half a dozen new products are under development. These typically take five to seven years until the product is licensed,” he said. Therefore, SII can use this capacity to make Covid-19 vaccines now.