Bharat Biotech announces COVAXIN capacity expansion

Bharat Biotech announces scale-up of manufacturing capacity to produce ~ 700 million doses of COVAXIN annually.

Manufacturing scale-up has been carried out in a stepwise manner across multiple facilities at Hyderabad, and Bangalore.

Bharat Biotech is able to expand COVAXIN manufacturing capacity in a short timeline, mainly due to the availability of new specially designed BSL- 3 facilities, informed the company.

Manufacturing partnerships are being explored with partners in other countries, who have prior expertise with commercial-scale manufacture of inactivated viral vaccines under biosafety containment.

To further increase capacities, Bharat Biotech has partnered with Indian Immunologicals (IIL) to manufacture the drug substance for COVAXIN. The technology transfer process is well underway and IIL has the capabilities and expertise to manufacture inactivated viral vaccines at commercial scale and under biosafety containment.

Bharat Biotech uses a proprietary adjuvant Algel-IMDG, that has now proven to be a safe and effective adjuvant, especially to stimulate memory T cell responses. The synthesis and manufacture of the IMDG component has been successfully indigenized and will be manufactured at a commercial scale within the country. This is the first instance where a novel adjuvant has been commercialised in India.

COVAXIN has received Emergency Use Authorizations in several countries across the globe with another 60 in process. Pricing for international markets and supplies to govt’s under EUAs have been established between $15 – 20 / dose.