Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met SII chief Adar Poonawalla and other top vaccine makers in India
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday held separate meetings with Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla and Biological-E MD Mahima Dalta to discuss issues regarding COVID-19 vaccines.
The minister on Thursday had held a meeting with Dr Reddy's Laboratories Chairman Satish Reddy on the production and supply of COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V.
"Met @AdarPoonawalla, CEO of @SerumInstIndia and had a productive discussion on the supply of Covishield vaccine. I appreciated their role in mitigating #COVID19 & assured continued Government support in ramping up vaccine production," Mr Mandaviya said in a tweet.
The minister, earlier in the day, held a meeting with Biological-E Managing Director Mahima Dalta on the progress of the company's upcoming COVID-19 vaccine, Corbevax.
"Met Ms Mahima Datla, MD of @Biological_E , who briefed me on the progress of their upcoming #COVID19 vaccine, Corbevax. I assured all the Government support for the vaccine," Mr Mandaviya said in a tweet.
The Union Health Ministry in June had finalised arrangements with Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Biological-E to reserve 30 crore of COVID-19 vaccine doses.
"These vaccine doses will be manufactured and stockpiled by M/s Biological-E from August-December 2021. For this purpose, the Union Ministry of Health would be making an advance payment of Rs 1,500 crore to M/s Biological-E," the Health Ministry had said in a statement.
The arrangement with Biological-E is part of the wider endeavour of the Centre to encourage indigenous vaccine manufacturers by providing them support in research and development and also financial support.
The Biological-E COVID vaccine candidate has been supported by the Centre from pre-clinical stage to phase-3 studies.
The Department of Biotechnology has not only provided financial assistance in terms of grant-in-aid of over Rs 100 crore but has also partnered with Biological-E to conduct all animal challenge and assay studies through its Research Institute Translational Health Science Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, the health ministry had said.
The government on Friday informed Parliament that the monthly vaccine production capacity of Covishield is planned to be increased from 11 crore doses to more than 12 crore doses per month and of Covaxin from 2.5 crore doses to around 5.8 crore.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)