SERUM INSTITUTE OF INDIA

British- Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca and US pharmaceutical major Novavax have told lawmakers that they are ready to scale up their production of COVID- 19 vaccines in partnership with the Serum Institute of India.

The SII, located in Maharashtra's Pune, is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume. It is manufacturing the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which is known locally as Covishield. Covishield was granted emergency use listing by the World Health Organisation ( WHO) this month, allowing it to be supplied to low and middle- income countries around the world. “Together with our partner, the Serum Institute of India, we plan to supply over 300 million doses to 145 countries through COVAX in the first half of 2021 as part of our global and equitable access pledge,” Ruud Dobber, president of AstraZeneca's biopharmaceuticals business, said.

“The majority of this supply will go to low and middle- income countries,”

Dobber told members of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight and investigations subcommittee during a Congressional hearing on ‘ Pathway to Protection: Expanding Availability of COVID- 19 Vaccines' on Tuesday. The purpose of the hearing was to examine manufacturers' ongoing efforts to develop and scaleup the production of COVID19 vaccines in the US. The COVAX or COVID- 19 Vaccine Global Access programme is run by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and WHO in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers. Dobber said the company's agreement with the US government covers the development and supply of 300 million doses of its vaccine, should it receive authorisation. The cost of the doses and the dose agreements will provide no profits for AstraZeneca.