Bharat Biotech’s vaccine against Covid-19, Covaxin, does not contain newborn calf serum, the Union health ministry clarified in a statement on Wednesday, responding to some posts on social media, moving quickly to address an issue that could have potentially led to vaccine hesitancy among some.
“New born calf serum is used in the manufacturing of viral vaccines. It is used for the growth of cells, but neither used in growth of SARS CoV2 virus nor in the final formulation...” said Bharat Biotech (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)
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“There have been some social media posts regarding composition of the Covaxin vaccine where it has been suggested that Covaxin vaccine contains newborn calf serum. Facts have been twisted and misrepresented in these posts… the final vaccine does not contain newborn calf serum at all and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product,” read the health ministry statement.
According to the ministry, newborn calf serum is used only for preparation and growth of vero cells (lineage of cells used for pathogen culture). Different kinds of bovine and other animal serum are standard enrichment ingredients used globally for vero cell growth. Vero cells are used to establish cell lines which help in production of vaccines..., the ministry explained. Dr Gagandeep Kang, physician-scientist, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, said “the explanation holds”. Bharat Biotech also put out a separate statement explaining the process:“New born calf serum is used in the manufacturing of viral vaccines. It is used for the growth of cells, but neither used in growth of SARS CoV2 virus nor in the final formulation...”
Rhythma Kaul is the national health editor of the Hindustan Times. She has been reporting on public health, medicine, and medical research, with a particular focus on how government decisions and health system reforms shape people’s lives. Rhythma has over 25 years of journalistic experience. She joined Hindustan Times in 2008, and has since covered everything from pandemics and infectious diseases to cutting‑edge medical research and climate‑related health challenges. Her stories routinely track the work of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, department of pharmaceuticals, and key national health programmes, making complex medical science and policy accessible to a wide audience. One of her prominent news breaks has been the 2012 Baby Falak case: A two-year-old brutally battered baby girl was admitted to AIIMS-Delhi with severe head injuries, multiple fractures, human bite marks, and burns. The police investigation revealed this to be a case of multi-state human-trafficking racket. She was profiled by The Wall Street Journal for breaking this story. Rhythma holds a Master’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Prior to Hindustan Times, she worked with the India Today Group. Rhythma can be contacted at rhythma.kaul@hindustantimes.com. Her X handle is @RamblingBrook.
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