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Now, PETA urges govt to not use calf serum in Covaxin production
Covaxin does not contain calf serum, but the serum is used in the labs to boost the growth of Vero cells, both the government and Bharat Biotech clarified
A day after the government clarified that Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin does not contain calf serum, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India on Thursday wrote to the Drugs Controller General of India urging him to replace newborn calf serum with an animal-free chemical solution, reports said. The government on Wednesday explained that Covaxin does not contain calf serum, but calf serum is used at the very first step of the production.
In its letter, PETA said the calves required for this purpose are taken away from their mother shortly after birth which traumatises both the mother and the calf. It also said that there are animal-free alternatives already available.
What is the controversy all about?
Congress's Gaurav Pandhi has recently shared an RTI reply document on social media which says that newborn calf serum is used for the growth of Vero cells.
The government said that claiming that vaccine contains calf serum is twisting and misrepresenting the fact as the final product does not contain any aminal part. It explained that to ensure the growth of Vero cells, calf serum is used as the serum has some properties which boost the growth of Vero cells. These Vero cells, after growth, are washed with water many times to make them free from the calf serum, which is only used as a growth agent.
Why calf serum is used in vaccine production
Calf serum's biological properties make it crucial for rapid cell growth as newborn calf have fewer antibody properties.
On the allegation of animal cruelty
In his tweet, Gaurav Pandhi claimed newborn calves are slaughtered for obtaining serum, which many on social media contested and said there are many ways to get the serum. Importing is also one of them. Bharat Biotech has not specified how they procure calf serum for their vaccine production, but it has clarified that the use of newborn calf serum is not a secret. The company has been in the vaccine-making business for decades and this is the standard process of producing vaccines.
If calves are not killed, why PETA is opposing
PETA said the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, prohibits the slaughter of pregnant animals and animals under three months of age. "Therefore, the use of serum obtained by slaughtering a calf younger than 20 days of age for vaccine production should also not be allowed," it said. But even if they are not killed, they are traumatised for being snatched from their mothers just after their birth, PETA said.
It also raised the issue of the risk of contamination in the vaccine, which Bharat Biotech has already addressed and said that Covaxin is pure and there is no trace of calf serum in the finished product.
