Being pharma capital, Telangana has duty to develop Covid vaccine: KTR

Hyderabad: The pharma leaders led by Bharat Biotech and Biological E urged the government for a comprehensive package to put in place to increase the testing and ensure the necessary healthcare infrastructure to tackle Covid-19 pandemic.

An interaction between the companies in vaccine development and IT Minister KT Rama Rao was organised at the Genome Valley in the city which was moderated by the Minister himself.

Dr Krishna M. Ella, CMD, Bharat Biotech International Limited urged the Minister to announce procurement strategies for Covid-19 vaccines. He said that the clearance process for the vaccine development should be de-centralised and regional offices of regulatory bodies should be created in the States.

Mahima Datla, MD, Biological E. Ltd, said that the funding for vaccine development is extremely fragmented and we need to address this issue. She said the government should announce procurement strategies for Covid-19 vaccines, when they become available. She also said that "Bureaucratic Cholesterol," has increased and is causing hindrances and that should end.

Minister KTR said in the current pandemic situation the life sciences sector has emerged as the key sector and the vaccine industry is the biggest ray of hope.

India's vaccine sector will play a critical role in developing and producing vaccine at scale for distribution across the world. Hyderabad's importance in the global vaccine landscape is only growing, he said.

The Minister added that being the vaccine capital of the world, it is the responsibility of the State government to enable the development of vaccination against Covid-19. "We are committed to play an enabling role in global vaccination efforts against Covid-19."

The panel witnessed participation from the experts in the field of vaccine development including Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organisation and Dr Anand Kumar, MD Indian Immunologicals Ltd.

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan stated that the Covid-19 has established itself and hence a comprehensive package should be put in place to increase the testing and ensure the necessary healthcare infrastructure.

Dr Anand Kumar said that all the organisations working for the vaccine development of Covid-19 in India should come together and collaborate to ensure the timely development of vaccines in India.

We are committed to play an enabling role in global vaccination efforts against COVID-19," said the minister.