DMK MP P. Wilson has requested Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to take steps to utilise the three vaccine centres in Tamil Nadu for production of Covishield/ Covaxin.
In a letter, he said the three vaccine manufacturing centres in Tamil Nadu — King Institute at Chennai, Integrated Vaccine Complex by HLL Biotech at Chengalpattu, and Pasteur Institute at Coonoor — have the necessary machinery and infrastructure for large-scale manufacturing of the vaccines.
He pointed out that Integrated Vaccine Complex (IVC) at Chengalpattu had been lying idle for almost a decade, after being established in 2012 at an estimated cost of ₹594 crore and had sanctioned staff strength of 408, of which nearly 251 posts are vacant. The Pasteur Institute of Coonoor is one of the oldest and pioneering institutes in India in the manufacture of vaccines.
“Permit the two companies which have the IP to manufacture the vaccines namely Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech to utilise these facilities on payment of charges to ramp up production. Since these two companies already have the license /patent, they can well begin production,” he said.
