Located in Hadapsar, the peri-urban locality that connects Pune to the erstwhile textile-mill town of Solapur, Serum Institute of India (SII) appears ready to play a global role in the production of Covid-19 vaccine because few manufacturers can match the scale of its facilities.
Known for cranking out low-price vaccines that protect against polio, tetanus, and measles — often for less than $1 a dose — SII comes riding on the promise of a billion Covid shots.
Founded by industrialist Cyrus Poonawalla six decades ago with an investment of $12,000, what started with the production of tetanus anti-toxin in 1967