SII to meet local demand for Oxford vaccine for next 2 months, before exporting

SII is still waiting to strike a formal supply deal with the government, but is expected to do so in the coming days.

Serum Institute of India (SII), the local maker of the AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine, said on Sunday it intends to concentrate on meeting India’s own immediate demand in the next two months before exporting to other interested countries.

Dose of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is displayed from its box at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, Britain on January 2, 2021. (Reuters File Photo)

Chief executive Adar Poonawalla said in an interview after the shot was approved for emergency use in the world’s second-most populous country, that exports might be possible after supplying the Indian government with an initial 100 million doses.

The government just wants to ensure that “the most vulnerable people of the country get it first - I fully endorse and support that decision”, he said.

SII is still waiting to strike a formal supply deal with the government, but is expected to do so in the coming days.