A delegation of foreign envoys visited manufacturing facilities of vaccine makers Bharat Biotech and Biological E in Hyderabad’s Genome Valley on Wednesday as part a visit to familiarise them with the work underway for Covid-19 vaccines.
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Bharat Biotech said a team comprising Ambassadors, High Commissioners and government representatives of 70 countries, from across the world, visited the facility and had interacted with the company officials. They “extensively discussed about Covaxin,” the company said.
Coming in the backdrop of a growing interest globally in India’s work on the vaccines, including the indigenous Covaxin that Bharat Biotech is developing with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the visit is the first of many the Ministry of External Affairs is expected to organise for members of the diplomatic corp.
The envoys, who earlier in the day arrived by a special flight in Hyderabad, were provided a project update on Covaxin by Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech Krishna Ella. The indigenous, inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured at Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) bio-containment facility. The vaccine has been evaluated in approximately 1,000 subjects in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. The Phase III trials began in November, involving 26,000 volunteers across India. The company said it is India’s first and only Phase III efficacy study for a COVID-19 vaccine and the largest phase III efficacy trial ever conducted for any vaccine in the country.
Joint Managing Director Suchitra Ella said “Covaxin has garnered interest from several countries worldwide for supplies and introduction. It is an honour to have with us today all the distinguished ambassadors of various countries. It not only makes us proud but also reminds us that the world is looking up to India in the common fight against the deadly pandemic.”
