A production line of AstraZeneca.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, Serum Institute of India, has been told to meet domestic demand for Covid-19 shots first – before distributing them overseas.
The move implies that foreign governments can set up the company’s delays because it puts India’s needs above others.
“Dear countries and governments, while you wait for #COVISHIELD supplies, I humbly ask you to please be patient,” tweeted Adar Poonawalla.
He said the Serum Institute of India (SII) “should prioritize the great needs of India and at the same time balance the needs of the rest of the world. We try our best.”
Poonawalla did not elaborate on who gave the order.
SII declined to comment further on Poonawalla’s tweet when CNBC contacted him.
Covishield
Serum Institute manufactures the vaccine developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University, known locally as Covishield.
It is one of the two vaccines that received emergency permission to be used in the mass vaccination campaign in India, which aims to vaccinate about 300 million people in the first phase, most of whom are front-line workers and those over 50 or in high-risk groups.
The other vaccine that received emergency approval was developed locally by the Indian Bharat Biotech. It was created in collaboration with the state-run Indian Medical Research Council and has been granted permission for emergency use while clinical trials continue.
Since the vaccination campaign began in January, India has vaccinated more than 10.8 million people since February 20. according to the government. The number of daily vaccinations is expected to increase in the coming months.
An army health worker prepares a dose of Covishield, AstraZeneca / Oxford’s Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at the Army Hospital in Colombo on 29 January 2021.
ishara S. Kodikara | AFP | Getty Images
Covishield was also granted this month by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the list of emergency uses so that it can be delivered to low- and middle-income countries around the world.
AstraZeneca said it hopes more than 300 million doses will be made available to 145 countries in the first half of 2021 through Covax, a global vaccination initiative led by WHO and others.
Covishield is cheaper compared to some other vaccines used – such as those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. It also does not need to be stored in ultra-low temperatures, making it suitable for use in many developing countries that do not have the necessary storage infrastructure.