Indian Covid-19 vaccines to kickstart Brazilian vaccination program

Responding to the request of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for Indian vaccines, a plane carrying two million doses of Covishield will leave for the country from Mumbai on Friday evening. The vaccine, Covishield (AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine) produced by India's serum institute of India, will help kick start Brazil's vaccination program next week.

Meanwhile, Ministry of external affairs, when asked about the development said, "Vaccination process is just starting in India, too early to give a specific response on the supplies to other countries".

Adding,” We will take decision in this regard on due course and this may take some time".

"To enable the immediate implementation of our National Immunization Program", the Brazilian President had written to Indian PM Modi requesting, "2 million doses of the immunizer produced by the Serum Institute of India". 

Also read | India's Bharat Biotech to supply its Covid-19 vaccine to Brazil

He explained in the letter that, "Brazilian government has launched the National Immunization Program against Covid-19" and "Among the vaccines selected by the Brazilian government, are those from the Indian company Bharat Biotech International Limited (Covaxin) and AstraZeneca at the University of Oxford (Covishield), also produced by the Serum Institute of India."

Important to note that Brazil will be producing 100 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine by its national health institute/laboratory Fiocruz. Fiocruz is right now acquiring ready vaccines from the Serum Institute in India, one of the production centres for the vaccine.

Earlier this month, India's Bharat Biotech signed an agreement with Brazil's Precisa Medicamentos for Covaxin covid vaccine. A team from Precisa Medicamentos visited the Bharat Biotech facility in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. 

The company in a statement said, "In principle, it is understood between both parties that supplies of Covaxin to be prioritized for the public market, through a direct procurement by the Govt. of Brazil". Supplies to the private market would be based upon receipt of market authorization from ANVISA, the Brazilian regulatory authority.

India is known as the pharma capital of the world, a position it reaffirmed during the covid pandemic by sending HCQ and paracetamol to around 150 countries around the world. Indian PM has said that India's vaccine will be for humanity, with priority to the developing world and the neighbourhood.