Over 60 Envoys To Visit Biotech Companies In Hyderabad Developing COVID-19 Vaccine

New Delhi: More than 60 foreign heads of missions will on Wednesday (December 9) visit leading biotech companies in Hyderabad – Bharat Biotech and Biological E – which are developing vaccines against the novel coronavirus, sources said. They said that this is the first such visit and it will be followed by visits to facilities in other cities. It is in continuation of COVID-19 briefing by Ministry of External Affairs on November 6. India is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and has been contributing significantly to global efforts against COVID-19 pandemic.

Also Read: Six COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates In Different Clinical Trial Stage In India, Three In Pre-Clinical Stage: Union Health Secretary

Sources said there is a lot of interest in India’s vaccine development efforts.

Prime Minister Narendra Singh Modi has said that India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis.

He visited the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad and Serum Institute of India in Pune on November 28 to conduct an extensive review of the vaccine development and manufacturing process.

On November 30, he had virtual meetings with teams from Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd Pune, Biological E Ltd Hyderabad and Dr Reddys Laboratories Ltd Hyderabad. The three teams are working on developing and manufacturing vaccine for COVID-19.

Bharat Biotech had on Monday (December 7) applied for emergency use authorisation for its indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ to Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

It is the second Indian company to apply for emergency use authorisation after the Serum Institute of India applied for such use for the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

Also Read: Centre Develops ‘Co-WIN’ App To Self-Register For COVID-19 Vaccine

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.