Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech on Tuesday announced their "combined intent" to supply Covid-19 vaccines for India, issuing a joint statement after a controversy over their shots.
"The more important task right now is of saving the lives and livelihoods of populations in India and around the world. Vaccines are a global public health good and they have the power to save lives," said the statement signed by Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla and Krishna Ella, chairperson of Bharat Biotech.
"Both our companies are fully engaged in this activity and consider it our duty to the nation and the world at large to esnure a smooth roll-out of vaccines," they said.
Ella on Monday defended his company’s locally-developed coronavirus vaccine, that was granted emergency authorisation by the country’s regulator even though final-stage human trials haven’t been completed.
A committee advising India’s drugs regulator also gave a restricted license for local use to the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford, which is being produced by the Serum Institute., the world’s largest vaccine maker by volume.
"We are fully aware of the Importance of vaccines for people and countries alike, we hereby communicate our joint pledge to provide global access for our COVID-19 vaccines," they said.
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