‘Your arrangements will take care of all’: Adar Poonawalla praises PM Modi’s vaccine vision

Covid-19 vaccine: The CEO of the Pune-based pharma company thanks PM Modi for his leadership, a day after PM’s UNGA speech where he said India is committed to help the global community.

A day after questioning India’s financial plan to buy and distribute Covid-19 vaccine, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla has now praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision on providing vaccines to the global community.

A man walks past a signpost of India's Serum Institute, the world's largest maker of vaccines, which is developing a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at its laboratory in Pune. (REUTERS)

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, PM Modi said India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting the ongoing pandemic.

“India provided more than 150 countries with medicines during the pandemic. As the largest vaccine-producing country of the world, I want to assure you India will do everything possible to further global good. From January 2021, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, India will be committed to its responsibilities,” PM Modi said.

Before PM Modi’s assurance on vaccine in his UNGA speech on Saturday, SII CEO Adar Poonawalla asked whether the government will have Rs 80,000 crores available over the next one year. “That’s what India needs to buy and distribute the vaccine to everyone in India. This is the next concerning challenge we need to tackle,” Poonawalla tweeted.

“I ask this question, because we need to plan and guide, vaccine manufacturers both in India and overseas to service the needs of our country in terms of procurement and distribution,” he added.

SII is the world’s biggest vaccine producer by number of doses produced every year. It is production and testing partner of Covishield, a vaccine being developed by Oxford University and pharma company Astrazeneca.