The government has permitted Serum Institute of India (SII) to export 10 lakh Covishield doses each to Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh, while Bharat Biotech will provide Iran with 10 lakh doses of Covaxin under the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ programme in October, official sources said on Thursday.
The Pune-based pharma company SII has also been allowed to supply bulk Covishield vaccine, which is equivalent to around 3 crore doses, to AstraZeneca in the UK, they told PTI.
According to the sources, Prakash Kumar Singh, director (government and regulatory affairs) at SII had sought permission from Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in August to supply bulk concentrated solution of Covishield to AstraZeneca citing contractual obligation with the UK-based firm.
Mandaviya on September 20 announced that India will resume export of surplus COVID-19 vaccines in the fourth quarter of 2021 under the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ programme and to meet its commitment to the COVAX global pool.