Wilson writes to Centre to use 3 TN vax units

CHENNAI: DMK Rajya Sabha MP and senior counsel P Wilson has written to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to take all steps to utilise the three vaccine manufacturing facilities in Tamil Nadu – King’s Institute at Chennai, Integrated Vaccine Complex by HLL Biotech at Chengalpattu, and Pasteur Institute at Conoor to manufacture Covishield and COVAXIN vaccines.

Pointing out that all these three centres have the necessary machinery and infrastructure to manufacture the vaccines in large scale, the DMK MP said the stand taken by the Additional Solicitor General before the Madras High Court that the facilities lack the technical know-how to manufacture the two vaccines and none had come forward with a bid despite two tenders being called, appears to be a spurious one.

However, noting that there are two ways to go about this, Wilson said, “One is to permit the two companies which have the IP to manufacture the vaccines namely Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech to utilise these facilities on payment of charges to ramp up production.”

“Secondly, section 92 of the Patents Act, 1970 permits the Central Government to compulsorily license a drug during a “national emergency”. This pandemic, the worst health crisis that independent India has witnessed, certainly falls under the category of a national pandemic and therefore the Centre has to, compulsorily license the drug and permit these three vaccination centres to be used,” Wilson stressed.