Indian pharma industry can produce COVID-19 vaccines for entire world: Bill Gates

Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist, said that India’s pharma industry will be able to produce COVID-19 vaccines, not just for the country but also for the entire world. He was speaking in a documentary – COVID-19: India’s War against the Virus. It will be premiered on Discovery Plus today.

Gates said, “I am excited that the pharma industry there will be able to produce not just for India but also for the entire world. (This is) What we need to reduce the deaths and make sure we are immune, which is how we end the epidemic.”

He stated, “India has a lot of capacity there with the drug and vaccine companies that are huge suppliers to the entire world. More vaccines are made in India than anywhere, starting with Serum Institute, that’s the largest.”

“But (there are) also Bio E, Bharat (Biotech), many others. They are doing work to help make the coronavirus vaccine, building on other great capacities that they have used for other diseases,” he added.

He also said that India also faces a huge challenge due to the health crisis because of its gigantic size and urban centres with a lot of population density.

Highlighting Gates foundation’s role in India’s war against coronavirus, he said that it has been funding work on detection and isolation.  “We have been particularly active in UP and Bihar where we have done health delivery in the past,” he informed.

Gates apprised that Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is also a “partner with the government, particularly with the Department of Biotechnology, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the office of the Principal Scientific Advisor.”

The foundation is also working with the Department of Personnel and Training for online training to help their frontline health workers, updated Gates.

(with edits from EP News Bureau)