Poonawalla left to escape ‘pressure’
ADAR POONAWALLA, the CEO of the Serum Institute of India (SII), has revealed the “pressures” he was under over the production of Covid-19 vaccines to meet the ever-increasing demand in India.
The businessman, who is currently in London, said he will return to India in a few days.
In an interview last weekend with the Times, Poonawalla spoke about “aggressive” calls from some of the most powerful people in India, demanding supplies of Covishield – as the the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is known in India – and which the SII manufactures.
That pressure was largely behind his decision to fly into London to be with his wife and children, the 40-year-old entrepreneur told the newspaper last Saturday (1).
“I’m staying here (London) for an extended time because I don’t want to go back to that situation. Everything falls on my shoulders, but I can’t do it alone... I don’t want to be in a situation where you are just trying to do your job, and just because you can’t supply the needs of X, Y or Z, you really don’t want to guess what they are going to do,” Poonawalla was quoted as saying.
According to Indian government officials, Poonawalla has been given high-level protection in view of “potential threats” to him. Armed commandos of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be with him every time he travels to any part of India, the officials said.
“The level of expectation and aggression is really unprecedented. It’s overwhelming. Everyone feels they should get the vaccine. They can’t understand why anyone else should get it before them,” Poonawalla said.
He also hinted that his move to London was linked to plans to expand vaccine manufacturing to countries outside India, which may include the UK.
“Had an excellent meeting with all our partners & stakeholders in the UK. Meanwhile, pleased to state that Covishield’s production is in full swing in Pune. I look forward to reviewing operations upon my return in a few days,” Poonawalla said in a midnight tweet.
According to the Times, by the time the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was approved in January this year, the SII had increased its annual production capacity from 1.5 billion to 2.5 billion doses at a cost of $800 million (£575m), and stockpiled 50 million doses of Covishield.
The company began exporting the vaccine to 68 countries, including Britain, as India seemed to be over the worst of the pandemic, until the situation worsened in recent weeks.
On the charge of profiteering as the cost of Covishield was recently hiked, Poonawalla said it was “totally incorrect”. He added that Covishield will still be “the most affordable vaccine on the planet” even at a higher price.
“We have done the best we can without cutting corners or doing anything wrong or profiteering. I’ll wait for history to judge,” he said. “I’ve had this sense of responsibility to India and the world because of the vaccines we were making, but never have we made a vaccine so needed in terms of saving lives.”