Will there be a Covid-19 vaccine soon? Which laboratories will win all or part of the market? To date, 200 vaccine candidates are in the running. The World Health Organization (WHO). They will undoubtedly be manufactured largely in India, the world’s leading producer, in particular of hydroxychloroquine. And maybe at the Serum Insitute of India. In an interview at West France, its CEO, Adar Poonawala, agrees not to file a patent on this product so crucial for humanity ”.
What is the status of your research on the Covid-19 vaccine?
We are working in India on a recombinant version of the BCG vaccine [contre la tuberculose] whose potential we will know in a month. It would be all the more useful since it is very cheap: less than a dollar a dose. We have also signed a contract with AstraZeneca, which is conducting trials in the United Kingdom on the vaccine known as AZD1222, derived from another virus, as well as a partnership with the American firm Codagenix. But even before these clinical studies were completed, we obtained authorization from Indian regulators to start production, given the health emergency. These vaccines could save many lives. AstraZeneca scientists are very confident and believe their vaccine has an 80% chance of being effective.
What are your production goals and when?
We are counting on a billion doses produced with AstraZeneca, including 400 million before December. To deal with the humanitarian crisis, we have no choice but to believe in science and take risks. Each lost month leads to additional victims. The Serum Institute of India is building the world’s largest Covid-19 vaccine factory, but it will take two years to emerge. So I made the decision, meanwhile, to devote the activity of our two factories in Pune [dans l’État du Maharashtra, à l’ouest de l’Inde] production of Covid-19 vaccines.
Who will have priority access to vaccines and how not to stop the production of other vaccines?
My commitment goes to the poorest nations and to India. The contract I signed with AstraZeneca first concerns the priority countries of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, Africa first. Furthermore, if we find a vaccine, we will not apply for patents on this product, which is so crucial for humanity. Concerning the other vaccines that we produce (1.5 billion per year) we will do everything not to interrupt their production. They protect children from very dangerous diseases. I have contracted with external factories to ensure continuity of supply. The Indian government helps us: we obtain authorizations in three days which usually take two years. I hope this pandemic will make India an even more effective hub for medical innovation.
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