Hester Biosciences to produce Bharat Biotech's Covaxin

Ahmedabad-based Hester Biosciences will produce 20 million doses of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin per month from August 2021. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been inked between the Hyderabad-based pharma giant Bharat Biotech and Gujarat COVID Vaccine Consortium (GCVC) regarding the same.

GCVC comprises Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), Hester Biosciences and Omnibrx Biotechnologies, Hester stated in a regulatory filing.

Bharat Biotech will provide production technology of the drug substance for Covaxin and GBRC will act as an advisor, mentor, and shall facilitate technology transfer from Bharat Biotech, as per this MoU. The MoU added Hester will provide complete infrastructure to manufacture the indigenously developed anti-COVID vaccine with an estimated outlay of Rs 40 crore. Omnibrx Biotechnologies will act as a technology support partner.

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Hester's regulatory filing further noted, "If everything goes as per the schedule, the drug substance would be available from August 2021 which will be supplied back to Bharat Biotech for producing Covaxin."

Hester Biosciences CEO and Managing Director Rajiv Gandhi said this process is being facilitated by the Department of Biotechnology and the Government of India, adding that it will not have any impact on any manufacturing and/or marketing forecasts for the financial year 2021-22.  

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Separately, the Gujarat government also said in its release that production of vaccines, which can be made available to the people of Gujarat and India, needs to be accelerated in the current situation of COVID-19. Previously, the Gujarat government had inked MoUs with Hester Biosciences, Supratech Laboratories, and Vekaria Healthcare LLP to develop COVID-19 vaccines and diagnostics.

Edited by Mehak Agarwal; with PTI inputs

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