64 foreign envoys departed for Hyderabad on Wednesday to visit and inspect India’s leading biotech companies, Bharat Biotech and Biological E, currently developing Coronavirus (COVID-19), official sources said on Wednesday.
According to the sources, the visit is in continuation of the COVID-19 briefing by India’s Ministry of External Affairs on November 6.
It was the first and would be followed by visits to facilities in other cities, they said.
India is reputed to be the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and has been contributing significantly to global efforts against COVID-19 pandemic.
There is a lot of interest in India’s vaccine development efforts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quoted as saying that India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help humanity in fighting the pandemic.
He had, on November 28, personally visited the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad, and Serum Institute of India in Pune to conduct an extensive review of the vaccine development and manufacturing process.
On November 30, he had virtual meetings with teams from Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd, Pune, Biological E Ltd, Hyderabad, and Dr Reddys Laboratories Ltd, Hyderabad.
The three teams are working on developing and manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccines.
Bharat Biotech had on Monday applied for emergency use authorisation for its indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine, ‘Covaxin’ to Drugs Controller-General of India, DCGI.
It was the second Indian company to apply for emergency use authorisation after the Serum Institute of India applied for use of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. (ANI)
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