Centre places order for 300mn doses with Biological E

India has placed an advance order worth ₹1,500 crore with Biological E for 300 million doses of an unauthorised Covid-19 vaccine. The order, announced Thursday, underscores the government’s efforts to overcome a severe shortage of vaccines in the world’s secondmost populous nation that is battling a devastating second wave of the pandemic.

“These vaccine doses will be manufactured and stockpiled by Biological E from August-december 2021,” according to a government statement.

This is the first such contract with a vaccine maker in India, and marks a major shift from the government’s earlier stance of signing sourcing pacts only with

Pune’s Serum Institute of India has sought indemnity from the government as talks are on that the government may extend legal protection to foreign vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer and Moderna, officials said.

companies with authorised vaccines.

Biological E’s vaccine is the second vaccine to be developed in India after Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.