Success Story for Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Cheapest Covid-19 Vaccines in World: Vaccine Makers Laud PM Modi

Leading vaccine manufacturers on Saturday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push towards facilitating India’s Covid-19 vaccine drive, both in terms of research and production. Days after India touched the 100 crore vaccine benchmark, the prime minister held a meeting with seven top vaccine makers on Saturday, and said that the entire world is looking up to India in the backdrop of the success of the vaccination drive. Modi also said that the vaccine manufacturers should continuously work together to be ready to face future challenges.

Cyrus Poonawalla, Managing Director of Serum Institute of India, praised Modi’s vision, and said that the PM had led the country towards becoming self-sufficient in Covid-19 vaccines production and making them available at the lowest possible price in the world.

The entire world is looking up to India in the backdrop of the success of its COVID-19 vaccination drive, PM Modi said as he lauded vaccine manufacturers for playing a “big role” in the success story of the country.

Representatives from seven vaccine makers — Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Zydus Cadila, Biological E, Gennova Biopharma and Panacea Biotech — participated in the meeting. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar were also present in the meeting. The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 101.30 crore, according to the latest health ministry data.

“Had it not been for him and driving the health ministry, today India would not have been able to make a billion doses. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. When he came in November to the plant in Pune, I assured him and today he was very happy that our assurance has been fulfilled,” said Cyrus. The Serum Institute of India manufactures the Covishield vaccine, one the jabs India had started its vaccine drive with. After the meeting, the Prime Minister’s office released a statement praising the efforts of vaccine manufacturers for helping India cross the 100 crore vaccination milestone. “Vaccine makers praised PM Modi’s vision and dynamic leadership, and applauded never-seen-before collaboration between government and industry,” the statement said.

Cyrus Poonawalla also praised the efforts of the PM to ease regulatory work. “The assurance was that we would make India self-sufficient like in all other vaccines, for the Covid vaccine in the lowest possible price available in the world,” Cyrus said, adding that this was the main achievement of the vaccine industry especially Serum Institute, was possible only “because the PM went out of his way and made all the regulatory people move very fast”.

“That’s why India is today where it is. Its covering such a huge population which it would otherwise not been able to do,” he said.

His son and CEO of the SII, Adar Poonawalla, also lauded Modi’s efforts, calling the meeting fruitful. “We discussed how to take the industry forward to prepare for future pandemics, to continue enhancing the capacity, and so many other things that will support the vaccine industry going forward,” he said.

Joint Managing Director of the Bharat Biotech Suchitra Ella also thanked PM Modi for the invite, and called the talks “thought-provoking”. She said the meeting provided insights to make Indian Bio-Pharma companies prepare ahead for leadership in global innovation and manufacturing. The 24-year-old vaccine firm manufactures Covaxin, among the two jabs India had administered at the very start of its inoculation drive.

Founder and Chairman of Bharat Biotech Krishna Ella said India administering 100 crore vaccines was a success story for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. “We are really proud of the country, reaching the 100 crore milestone was not easy. The Prime Minister was determined to make it. All the negativity in the beginning converted into an opportunity, and he made it happen. and I think that’s the greatest thing a leader can do for any country,” he said.

On October 21, India achieved a major milestone in its vaccination programme against COVID-19 as the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 100-crore mark, resulting in celebratory events across various parts. More than 75 per cent of India’s adult population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with nine states and union territories administering the first dose to all eligible people.

Over 31 per cent of the country’s around 93 crore adults have been administered both doses, according to health ministry officials. So far, all adult population in nine states and union territories — Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Dadra and Nagar Haveli — have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine. Three vaccines — Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Sputnik V — are currently being used in the country’s Covid vaccination drive.

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