PM Modi spoke about the coronavirus vaccine on Saturday in his virtual speech at the UNGA
New Delhi:
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, took to Twitter today to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the United Nations General Assembly on COVID-19 vaccines a day after highlighting the challenges of the production and distribution of vaccines in the country.
Serum Institute is the world‘s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume and conducts candidate Covid vaccine trials prior to mass production.
Mr. Poonawalla thanked the Prime Minister and said it was clear that his “arrangements for India will meet all the needs of the Indian people”. It comes after he asked the government on Twitter if they had Rs 80,000 crore to buy and distribute the vaccine to everyone in India.
“I ask this question because we need to plan and guide vaccine manufacturers in India and abroad to meet our country’s supply and distribution needs,” he added.
We share and applaud your vision @Narendra Modi ji, on providing vaccines to the global community. It is a proud moment for India, thank you for your leadership and support. It is clear that all your arrangements for India will meet all the needs of the Indian people. https://t.co/b57TH8fDSB
– Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) September 27, 2020
India can help pull the world out of the coronavirus crisis with massive vaccine distribution once all trials are successfully completed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his virtual address to the UNGA on Saturday.
He said India was moving forward with Phase 3 clinical trials – the large-scale trials considered the gold standard for determining safety and efficacy – and would help all countries improve their chain. cold and their storage capacities for vaccine delivery.
“India’s vaccine production and capacity will help the world overcome this pandemic. India has sent medical supplies to over 150 countries during the coronavirus crisis,” Prime Minister Modi said.
Covishield – the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and currently being tested by the Serum Institute in India – is currently in phase 2 and phase 3 human trials.
In July, when Mr Poonawalla spoke to GalacticGaming, he suggested that the Covishield vaccine, if available, would cost around Rs1,000. He also said India would receive around 30 million doses per month and it could take up to two years for the whole country to be vaccinated.
In addition to Covishield, other candidate vaccines are also being tested across the country. Native vaccine developers Bharat Biotech are in phase 2 with COVAXIN and Zydus Cadila awaits approvals for phase 3 clinical trials of its vaccine.
The number of COVID-19 infections in India is approaching the 60 lakh mark and is the second most affected country in the world after the United States.
