To step up the Covaxin production, the Indian government has approached manufacturers outside India, PTI reports. The Centre is in talks with Moderna, Johnson and Johnson and other vaccine makers as the country faces vaccine shortage. 

India’s COVID-19 case tally has breached the 26 million mark. On Thursday, the country recorded 259,591 new cases. Russia’s Sputnik was made available in addition to Covishield and Covaxin, but a study by India Today claims that at this rate, India might reach herd immunity in 3.5 years.

The government has decided to take up the issue with the World Health Organisation. They are looking to grant a voluntary license to third-party manufacturers in India on a transfer of technology basis, PTI reports.

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This issue was taken up in an inter-ministerial meeting on May 18. They deliberated upon the Patents Act,1970 of giving government use authorisation to increase the availability of drugs and vaccines. The Ministry of External Affairs will discuss the procedures with AstraZeneca, the makers of Covishield, PTI added.

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The Department of Biotechnology and the Ministry of External Affairs are set to prepare a roadmap to address the constraints from the makers of Covishield namely the raw material for the vaccine production. 

MEA, NITI Ayog and the Law Secretary will prepare a status report for the Pfizer vaccine and propose a liability agreement for the manufacturers. 

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In an announcement last week Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Department of Science and Technology of the Gujarat government, along with Hester Biosciences and OmniBOx with Bharat Biotech will scale up the Covaxin technology to ensure the production of at least 20 million doses per month. 

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According to government estimates, the country will have 216 crore vaccines out of which 75 crores would be Covishield and 55 crores would be Covaxin. 

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Moreover,  Biological E is expected to produce 30 crore doses, Zydus Cadila 5 crore, Serum Institute of India 20 crore doses of Novavax, and Bharat Biotech 10 crore doses of its nasal vaccine, while Genova will make available 6 crore doses and Sputnik V 15.6 crore doses