NEW DELHI: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Prof Balram Bhargava said the World Health Organisation (WHO) suspension of supply through United Nation agencies of Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech is a "routine" matter and the pharma company is improving their facilities.
"(It is a) routine thing that (has) happened. Inspection of the facilities is a routine," he said when asked about the WHO suspension of India's first indigenous vaccine Covaxin at an event on Thursday.
On April 2, the WHO had said it suspended the supply through United Nations agencies of Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin by India's Bharat Biotech to allow the manufacturer to upgrade facilities and address deficiencies found in an inspection.
The WHO also asked countries that have received India's indigenous Covid-19 vaccine to take appropriate actions. However, it did not specify the proper actions.
In a statement, the pharma company had said there was "no impact on efficacy and safety of the Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin" and added that "for the millions who have received Covaxin, the vaccine certificates issued still stand valid as there is no impact on efficacy and safety of the vaccine."
Prof Bhargava, who is also secretary, Department of Health Research, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said the pharma company, which developed the Covid vaccine in collaboration with the ICMR - National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, is improving their facilities as the demand has gone down.
"The company is repurposing their facilities," he said at the event organised by John Hopkins Gupta-Klinsky India Institute on learning lessons from Covid for a stronger health system.
He added that the company has built a huge state-of-the-art facility in Bengaluru.
The world health body, which had granted emergency use listing (EUL) to Covaxin on November 3, 2021, did not specify what good manufacturing practices (GMP) deficiencies were found. The WHO said the vaccine is effective, and no safety concerns exist, but the suspension of production for export will result in the interruption of Covaxin supply.
The central government on Thursday said that the suspension will not impact travel by people who have taken the vaccine, as it still continues to be recognised under the EUL.