Manufacturing vaccine specialised process, not possible to ramp up production overnight: Serum CEO Adar Poonawalla

VACCINE MANUFACTURING is a specialized process, it is therefore not possible to ramp up production overnight, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII) said on Monday.

In a statement issued here, Poonawalla said that as of today they have received total orders of over 26 crore doses, of which more than 15 crore doses have been supplied. “We have also got 100% advance of Rs 1,732.50 crore by GoI for the next tranche of 11 crore doses in the next few months. Another 11 crore doses would be supplied in the second channel for states and private hospitals in the next few months,” he added.

He said that there is need to understand that the population of India is huge and to produce enough doses for all adults is not an easy task. Even the most advanced countries and companies are struggling in relatively smaller populations, he said in the statement.

The CEO of SII said that they have been working closely with the Government of India (GoI) since April last year. “We have got all kinds of support, be it scientific, regulatory and financial,” he said.

While adding that at SII they understand everyone wants the vaccine to be available in the quickest possible time, Poonawalla assured to make every effort to achieve that. “That is our endeavour too and we are making every effort to achieve that. We shall work even harder and strengthen India’s fight against Covid-19,” he reiterated.

Earlier in a tweet he stated the need to share correct information with the public and in a statement clarified that his comments may have been misinterpreted.

Meanwhile, PTI reports from Mumbai that a Maharashtra minister on Monday said the SII CEO should lodge a police complaint in connection with the alleged threats that he has received, and assured the state government will conduct an in-depth probe into it.

Poonawalla, who has been in the UK on extended stay to evade alleged threats in India over the ever-increasing demand for Covid-19 vaccines, has said he will return in a few days.

In a recent interview to ‘The Times’, London, Poonawalla alleged that he had been receiving threats in India and that he and his family left the country for London after unprecedented “pressure and aggression” over the demand of Covid-19 vaccines.

“Poonawalla should lodge a complaint giving details of threat and the phone number from where he got the call. We will conduct an in-depth probe into it,” Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home Shamburaje Desai told reporters.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole urged Poonawalla to return to India and assured that his party will take the responsibility of his security.