Great discomfort in Bangladesh and Brazil for vaccine made in India

Posted on 5th Jan 2021 by rohit kumar

After the approval of the emergency use of two vaccines for the Coronavirus in India, countries like Bangladesh and Brazil are looking towards India with hopeful eyes.

 

However, their expectations may come as a shock as it is anticipated that the export of these vaccines may be banned to meet domestic needs in India. However, the ban on exports has been rejected.

 

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momin has said that New Delhi has assured Dhaka that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be delivered at an appropriate time.

 

In India, Oxford-AstraZeneca's Vaccine Serum Institute of India is producing 'Covishield'.

 

At the same time, Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) are making a vaccine called 'Covaxine'. Both these vaccines have been approved for emergency use in India.

 

Currently, Covishield will be used as the main vaccine, while Covikshin will be backed up as it is still undergoing clinical trials.

 

What is Bangladesh worried about

 

Bangladesh has approved the emergency use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Bangladesh is also confident that it will get 'Covishield' from the Serum Institute of India soon.

 

The exclusive distributor of 'Covishield' in Bangladesh is Beximco Pharma Company.

 

Rabimur Raza, COO of Beximco Pharma, said on Monday that the first batch of vaccines from the Serum Institute of India (CII) should arrive soon.

 

According to the Dhaka Tribune newspaper, in November last year, an agreement was reached between CII Beximco for a three-crore Covishield dose. Bangladesh will have to pay 120 million to India for this.

 

SII will provide 50 lakh vaccines every month to Bangladesh for six months through Beximco.

 

According to the newspaper, in December, India had promised Bangladesh that it would provide three crore doses as soon as the vaccine was ready in January.

 

This was promised during a virtual conference between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

 

SII has to get permission from WHO

 

SII, which is making the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in India, has agreed to give one billion vaccines to developing countries.

 

SII public relations officer Mayank Sen says that the company will have to take permission for the export which may take months.

 

However, Bangladesh hopes to get the vaccine soon.

 

The country's Health Minister Dr. Zahid Malik has said that he is in touch with the Indian administration and has assured that the vaccine will be given according to the agreement.

 

At the same time, Bangladesh Health Secretary Mohammad Abdul Mannan has said that Bangladesh will get the vaccine in February as SII is yet to get permission from the World Health Organization which will take three weeks.

 

Brazil too worried

 

Brazil ranks third in the list of countries most affected by the Coronavirus. In Brazil too, the concern has deepened, what will happen to India if it prohibits the export of corona vaccine.

 

Brazil's Fiocruz Institute has agreed to take the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from India.

 

On 31 December, the Brazilian health regulator approved the import of 2 million vaccines of Oxford-AstraZeneca. But now Brazil has started taking precautionary steps after seeing the clouds of restrictions on exports.

 

Reuters has said that two people associated with the matter say that diplomats have started talks to ensure that exports are not affected after the ban is announced.

 

Fiocruz has confirmed that Brazil's foreign ministry is in talks.

 

Brazil expects covaxine

 

Because of possible delays in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, private clinics in Brazil have announced the purchase of India Biotech's 5 million doses of cocaine.

 

However, Bharat Biotech has not yet applied for permission to the Brazilian health regulator.

 

At the same time, questions have been raised in India on Covaxin that it has not made public the figures of the Phase-3 trial.

 

Geraldo Barbosa, head of the Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics, is leading a Brazilian delegation visiting India on Monday. He has said that a memorandum of understanding has been signed with Bharat Biotech.

 

He said, "This first vaccine should be available in Brazil's private market."

 

He told that by mid-March the covoxin should reach Brazil, it will be sold at private clinics after the permission of the regulators.

 

Anavisa, the Brazilian health regulator, stated on Sunday that Covaxin did not appear fit for the continual submission of data for the registration process and that the vaccine would have to go through a clinical trial in Brazil.

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