Bharat Biotech signs deal to send 20 mn Covaxin doses to Brazil

Shipments to be made during second and third quarters of current calendar

Hyderabad-based vaccine maker Bharat Biotech said it has signed an agreement to supply 20 million doses of its Covid-19 shot Covaxin to Brazil during the second and third quarters of 2021. 

The firm said there is 'strong interest' in Covaxin and it is committed to supplying promptly. This is significant in the backdrop of the mutant strain identified in Brazil. 

In January, Bharat Biotech had indicated that it has signed an agreement with Precisa Medicamentos, a wholesaler of drugs in Brazil to supply Covaxin to that country. 

A team from Precisa Medicamentos met Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director Krishna Ella and discussed the export possibilities of Covaxin. "In principle, it is understood that supplies of Covaxin to be prioritised for the public market, through a direct procurement by the Government of Brazil. Supplies to the private market would be based upon receipt of market authorization from ANVISA, the Brazilian regulatory authority," Bharat Biotech had said in a statement.