Vaccine spat

INDIA’S Covid-19 vaccination programme has run into rough weather even before its rollout. The unsavoury war of words between vaccine manufacturers Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech seems to be over for now, but the spat should not have started in the first place. It was utterly irresponsible of the SII Chief Executive Officer, Adar Poonawalla, to have said that vaccines other than those of Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca were ‘just like water’. The CEO should have avoided a comment on the efficacy — or lack of it — of any vaccine. The statement elicited a sharp reaction from Bharat Biotech Chairman Krishna Ella, who lamented that his company was facing a backlash despite doing ‘200 per cent honest clinical trials’. The verbal duel struck a jarring note amid the heartening development that the Drugs Controller General of India had approved Oxford vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Pune-based SII, and Covaxin of Hyderabad-headquartered Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.

In a face-saving exercise, Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech have issued a joint statement saying they will work together to develop, manufacture and supply the vaccines in the country and globally. It is hoped that both will walk the talk on providing global access to their potentially life-saving shots. Even better, they should let the vaccines do the talking.

The controversy over the ‘premature’ clearance granted to Covaxin, even though its Phase-3 efficacy data will be available only by March, shows how the authorities have mishandled the situation. Prof Gagandeep Kang, one of India’s leading virologists, has made it clear that she would not take Covaxin as a vaccine until its efficacy data is made public. She has stressed the importance of transparency in building trust. The government needs to clear all doubts and misconceptions at the earliest so that the rollout is smooth and productive. India has waited long for the vaccine. Any hiccup or hesitancy at this stage might undo all the hard work done by scientists and researchers.