The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) has called a meeting with major Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers, including Serum Institute of India (SII), Bharat Biotech India Ltd and Zydus Cadila, on Tuesday next, it is reliably learnt.
The NEGVAC, which met here for the first time on Wednesday, held preliminary level discussions about funds required for procuring Covid-19 vaccines and more or less decided that vaccine required for the entire country would be procured through a high-powered committee in a centralised manner and asked the States to desist from setting aside resources for the same.
The Tuesday meeting, to which SII CEO Adar C Poonawala, BBIL MD Krishna Ella and Zydus Cadila Chairman Pankaj Patel, are invited, is an indication that the government is moving very fast in putting in place an infrastructure for Covid-19 vaccine. All three companies have Covid-19 vaccines in clinical trials stage. Two other vaccine-makers who got a call to attend the meeting are Mahima Datta, MD and CEO of Biological E, and Sanjay Singh of Gennova Biopharmaceuticals.
From the government side, the meeting is expected to be attended by Vinod K Paul, NITI Aayog Member, who is also the Chairman of NEGVAC, Rajesh Bhushan, Health Secretary, Renu Swarup, Department of Biotechnology Secretary, Balram Bhargava, Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research, and PD Vaghela, Department of Pharmaceuticals Secretary.