World’s largest producer halts production of AstraZeneca vaccine

The Serum Institute of India has produced more than a billion doses of Covishield – a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine – and is a key supplier to the global vaccination program for poorer countries than COVAX.

There is now a large amount COVID-19 vaccine globally, AFP noted.

This is a remarkable contrast from a year ago, when India, dubbed the “pharmaceutical of the world”, export restrictions amid COVID-19 in India pushed the healthcare system away. health care in this nation of 1.4 billion people has reached its limit.

Exports of COVID-19 vaccine in India to resume in November 2021.

“We have 200 million doses in stock,” said Adar Poonawalla, director of the Serum Institute of India. We stopped production in December. I even offered a free donation to anyone who wanted to get the vaccine.”

Mr. Adar Poonawalla shared at an economic forum organized by the Times Network that: “I don’t know what to do with the product. So I have to report the production stop. Otherwise, all will expire.”

The Medicines Regulatory Authority of India allows Covishield to be used for up to 9 months after the date of manufacture.

The production stoppage only applies to Covishield, a Serum Institute of India spokesman confirmed. In addition to Covishield, the company also produces Covovax vaccines under the license of the US pharmaceutical corporation Novavax.

Since the middle of last year, global production of COVID-19 vaccines has exceeded demand with the surplus continuing to grow, the International Federation of Manufacturers and Pharmaceutical Associations told AFP in April.

However, billions of people around the world remain unvaccinated, most of them in developing countries.

To date, India, the country with the number people infected with COVID-19 third largest in the world, having administered more than 1.87 billion doses of the vaccine to people 12 years of age and older.

New daily COVID-19 cases in India fell to around 1,000 in early April but increased in recent days prompting the capital New Delhi to reinstate a mandatory mask-wearing order.