Covid vaccines: India’s firepower in dose production. The agreement with AstraZeneca

In recent months it has seen a sharp decline in contagion and of victims, raising the possibility that the antibodies in the population they are much more widespread than previously believed. And therefore that i contagion are many more than the 11 million officially recorded. And while the scientists still question the progress of the curve epidemiological in India – where the decrease in infections is also favored by the average age of population and a widespread one sharing of services and water taps, in strongly agglomerations congestionati and without respecting the standards hygienic -, in the country the countryside vaccine continue to proceed to slow, despite the promises and objectives promoted by the government.

But now the executive of Narendra Modi is intent on changing gears – also given the alarm of the increase in infections in recent days, which have peaked since January – and has already mobilized Indian vaccine companies for distribution in India has priority over the sale or transfer of drugs to other countries. India it is indeed a firepower in the production of vaccines. Within its borders it produces 60% of all world production, thanks mainly to six large companies. In recent weeks, he writes Bbctheir production chains have also been enhanced to ensure that a large number of vaccine doses are marketed anti-Covid. And second Deloitte Delhi is set to become the world’s second largest producer of the Sars-Cov-2 drug after United States.

To make the lion’s share is the Serum Institute, the largest vaccine company in the world, which has obtained the license for the vaccine AstraZeneca, which in India was renamed Covishield. And also the American pharmaceutical giant Novavax has assured that he is ready to increase production thanks to the collaboration with Serum, which boasts a combined capacity of 1.5 billion vaccine doses per year. A capacity that it wants to increase by another billion by the end of the year. Thanks to the collaboration with the Indian company, AstraZeneca said it was able to produce 300 million doses destined for 145 countries through the program Covax, therefore, for low and middle income countries. Currently the Serum is producing approx 70 million of doses per month, he writes Fortune.

Also another Indian company, Bharat Biotech, said it was ready to produce 700 million doses of its vaccine in one year Covaxin, approved for emergency use. To date, India has already supplied over 16 million doses to 17 countries, including Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Maldives, through trade agreements or donations. As slow as the vaccination campaign is proceeding, Modi now want to give one lash, while in many cities, the markets are full of life, the streets crowded and the restaurants almost full. The country reports 11,000 to 13,000 new cases a day, compared to a peak of nearly 100,000 in September. However, 16,738 new cases of coronavirus, the highest figure for about a month now. Over half come from the western state of Maharashtra, where is it Mumbai, the country’s financial capital. Total deaths so far are 156,705.

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