Mumbai's Haffkine Institute Gets Centre's Nod to Produce Covaxin

[Spartan]

The Union government has given its permission to the city-based Haffkine Institute to manufacture Covaxin, an anti-coronavirus vaccine of Bharat Biotech, an official said on Thursday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had earlier requested the Centre to allow the Haffkine Institute to produce Covaxin. It is currently produced by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, the official from the chief minister’s office (CMO) said. Accordingly, the Centre gave its nod, he said. Thackeray thanked the central government for granting permission, the official said.

 

हाफकिनला भारत बायोटेककडून तंत्रज्ञान हस्तांतरण पद्धतीने कोवॅक्सिन बनवण्यास केंद्र शासनाच्या विज्ञान-तंत्रज्ञान विभागाने मान्यता दिली. आपल्या विनंतीचा स्वीकार करत केंद्राने परवानगी दिल्याबद्दल मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव बाळासाहेब ठाकरे यांनी पंतप्रधान श्री.नरेंद्र मोदी यांचे आभार मानले— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) April 15, 2021

In January, Haffkine sought the nod from the ICMR for technology transfer. In March, it reiterated its request and said that in case it is not granted permission to manufacture the vaccine, it can ‘fill and finish’ operations of the Covid vaccine, where it will only fill vaccines in bottles and make them ready for dispatch.

Several states reported a shortfall in vaccine stocks earlier in the month, some of them even had to turn beneficiaries away after running out of shots – a claim that has been vehemently denied by the Centre.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had blamed the states for wastage while asserting that the government has over 1.67 crore jab in reserve.