Bharat Biotech resumes Covaxin exports
Bengaluru: Indian vaccine maker Bharat Biotech said on Monday it has resumed export of its COVID-19 shot, Covaxin, and has executed long-pending orders in November.
The company also said exports to additional countries will commence from December, according to a statement it shared on Twitter.
It was not immediately clear whether or not these exports were made under the global vaccine-sharing facility COVAX.
Covaxin, which is 78% effective against severe cases of COVID-19, was approved for emergency use listing by the World Health Organization earlier this month.
It is the only homegrown vaccine being used in India's vaccination programme, although it accounts for only about 11% of the nearly 1.23 billion doses administered so far.
India restarted on Friday exports of COVID-19 shots to COVAX for the first time since April. Serum Institute of India, the world's biggest vaccine maker, said it was able to recommence exports as it beat its target of producing 1 billion doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine ahead of time.
Read also: Serum Institute resumes Covishield exports under Covax
COVAXIN, India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech is developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV).
The indigenous, inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) high containment facility.
The vaccine is developed using Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell derived platform technology. Inactivated vaccines do not replicate and are therefore unlikely to revert and cause pathological effects. They contain dead virus, incapable of infecting people but still able to instruct the immune system to mount a defensive reaction against an infection.
Bharat Biotech International Limited is an Indian multinational biotechnology company headquartered in Genome Valley, Turakapally, Hyderabad. The company was founded by Krishna Ella in 1996.
It is engaged in the drug discovery, drug development, manufacture of vaccines, bio-therapeutics, pharmaceuticals and health care products.
