Karnataka government mulls local production of Covid-19 vaccine

Karnataka is mulling over the possibility of having Covid-19 vaccine manufactured in a state-run facility in Bengaluru.

The state government has sought details on equipment and manufacturing capabilities of the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals (IAHVB) in Hebbal, which currently produces vaccines for KFD (Monkey fever) and five other animal-related diseases.

Estimates suggest that the facility can produce up to 30 crore vaccine doses per year. It fulfills the basic requirements for the production of Covishield and Sputnik vaccines.

According to sources, the Covid-19 Task Force is pushing for this idea given the severe shortage of vaccine doses. The IAHVB has emerged as a potential candidate.

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IAHVB Director S M Byregowda confirmed that they had submitted details to the Task Force on their capabilities. “We can produce Covishield or Sputnik. But, we will need more information on manufacturing methodology or whether any specialised equipment is required,” he said.

Though firms were unlikely to share the exact manufacturing process, government can also propose the manufacturers to set up a facility at IAHVB and produce vaccines, Byregowda said.

The institute cannot produce Covaxin as it requires negative pressure labs with Bio Safety Level III, which they currently are not equipped with.

According to a highly-placed source, the government is even considering reaching out to the Russian Embassy for local manufacturing of the Sputnik vaccine.

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IAHVB produces vaccines for PPR (a disease afflicting goats and sheep), rabies, sheep pox, swine fever and blue tongue disease. The only vaccine produced at the facility for humans is the one for KFD.

Meanwhile, Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said that the Centre would provide financial support of Rs 65 crore for Covaxin maker Bharat Biotech’s production facility in Bengaluru.

“The production capacity of Covaxin will be doubled by May-June 2021 and then increased nearly six to seven fold by July-Aug 2021,” Sudhakar said, adding that the unit was expected to produce nearly 10 crore doses by September.