‘World’s pharmacy’ now needs a global diplomacy push

Move over Ethereum and Dogecoin. The names that interest India these days are Cytiva, Sartorius, Corning, Tosoh and Therma Fisher. No crypto currency stars here. All of these are specialty manufacturers of vaccine components. India wants them to open their doors wide for our manufacturers to be able to rollout Covid vaccines for India and the world.

India is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, but the shortage it is facing currently says as much about poor governance as it does about the complexities of global supply chains and their increasing interplay with geopolitics and diplomacy. We’re not only in a race between variants and vaccines. At stake is India’s, and to an extent, US’ partnership in a post-Covid world, the future of the Quad, and even India’s global equity as a fair and responsible global player.
India should have a slew of vaccines out by the second half of 2021. Apart from Serum Institute’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin (which together make up the current lot of jabs, about 70 million a month), the Russian Sputnik by Dr Reddy’s Labs and Zydus Cadila’s three-shot vaccine will be ready to enter the market soon. Biological E is expected to market its fill-and-finish J&J single-shot vaccine (which will also go out as a Quad diplomacy package). Hyderabad-based Biological E is also developing a vaccine with Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and in-licensed from BCM Ventures, Baylor College of Medicines and Dynavax Technologies. The vaccine is currently in Phase 3 trials. Serum Institute will also produce the Novavax vaccine, scheduled for later this year. Bharat Biotech is running clinical trials of its nasal spray vaccine and Gennova is in Phase 2 trials of India’s first mRNA vaccine. You could say we have an embarrassment of riches. Where’s the problem?