Bharat Biotech to supply 3.5 cr doses of Covaxin in August: Health Minister
Premium- DRDO has transferred the technology to produce 2DG drug to four pharma companies other than Dr Reddy's
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said that Bharat Biotech will supply 3.5 crore doses of its Covid vaccine — Covaxin — in August. He also informed that the the Centre was getting 11-12 crore doses of Serum Institute's Covishield vaccine per month. The health minister also noted that Zydus Cadila had applied for emergency use authorisation for its DNA-based vaccine against Covid.
Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Mandaviya informed that DRDO has transferred the technology to produce 2DG drug to four pharma companies other than Dr Reddy's. DRDO's 2DG drug was given for emergency use authorization as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe Covid patients.
"The complete clinical study report of Phase-III trials of DRDO's 2DG oral drug in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients is expected to be available by the end of August 2021," the minister added.
Addressing the issue of shortage of vaccines reported by few states, the minister said that the state were given vaccine availability projections 15 days in advance and it was their responsibility to plan inoculation accordingly. He also said that a trial for vaccines for children is under way.
During his reply on vaccine shortage issue, the minister said that he did not want to do politics but many states had 10-15 lakh doses of vaccines with them.
Mandaviya urged Opposition not to make crisis a reason for politics. He said the government was not responsible for fudging of Covid fatality data as state governments were responsible for it.
Delivering the government's official reply on pandemic management in Rajya Sabha, Mandaviya said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance can save us from a third wave." He also said that the central governments never asked any state to record less deaths or cases.
"Centre compiles and publishes the data sent in by state government. Our work is to publish that data, and nothing else. We haven't told anyone to show less numbers (of deaths) or less positive cases. There's no reason for that. Prime Minister had said the same in meetings with Chief Minister," he said.
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