More Covid vaccine supplies lined up as India gets ready for Phase 3 drive

Bharat Bio may add 200 mn doses if needed; Serum to have 2.5 mn capacity by year-end

As India enters phase-III of Covid-19 vaccination, in which around 270 million people are to be inoculated, firms are looking to ramp up capacities at their production units. 

Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer that produced 1.5 billion doses last fiscal, is ramping up its capacity (including non-Covid vaccines) to 2.5 billion by the end of 2021. Of this, around two billion doses is expected by June.

Similarly, Bharat Biotech is on track to have 150 million doses ready by June. It would have annual capacity of 500 million doses this year, and can add another 200