Covid vaccine makers shoot for exports as domestic demand may remain low

ZyCoV-D is already approved by the regulator for use in children aged 12 and more

Nine Covid-19 vaccines are approved by India’s drug regulator for use in the country, of which five are available to the citizens. Unless the government decides to open new segments of population for vaccination, demand for multiple new vaccines is likely to remain low, leading to vaccine makers focusing on the export market for these. Opening up vaccination for children, however, holds the key to creating demand for fresh vaccines.

The first two vaccines to be approved — Serum Institute of India (SII) made AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine Covishield and Bharat Biotech developed Covaxin — have roughly accounted for 99 per cent