Bharat Biotech Unit To Make Pune Plant 'Fully Functional' For Covaxin Production By August End

Bharat Biotech, which manufactures India's first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin, is likely to start the production of the jabs at its facility in Pune by the end of August.

The Hyderabad-based pharma firm has developed the Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The Covaxin is one of the two vaccines that is currently being utilised in India's Covid-19 vaccination drive.

Biovet, an associate firm of the Bharat Biotech, had recently got permission from Bombay High Court to take possession of a ready-to-use vaccine manufacturing plant, built on a 12-hectare plot at Manjari in Pune, to produce Covaxin.

According to the report, Pune divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao and district collector Rajesh Deshmukh visited the plant on Wednesday (12 May).

"With the kind of encouragement and support the firm is getting from the Centre and the Maharashtra government about licencing, permissions, regulatory decisions, etc, they are confident of making the plant fully functional by the end of August and roll out the first batch of the vaccine," Rao was quoted in the report as saying.

The plant was earlier used by US based Merck & Co's subsidiary Intervet India Private Limited to manufacture vaccine for foot and mouth diseases. However, Intervet is exiting business operations in Indian and has signed an agreement with Biovet to transfer the land and manufacturing unit to the Bharat Biotech's subsidiarty.