Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director (CMD) Dr Krishna Ella on Monday said his company’s vaccine data is very much in public domain, saying, “Many people are just gossiping. Indian companies do not deserve this backlash.”
Hitting back at critics who targeted his company for not being transparent about vaccine trial data and receiving emergency use authorisation (EUA) for Covaxin even before trial end, he addressed the media via video-conferencing on Monday.
“Many people say that I am not transparent in my data. I think people should have patience to read on the internet & how many articles we have published. More than 70 articles have been published in various international journals.”
He said Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), 2019, clearly states that “if yours is a proven platform technology, safe platform technology, and good pre-clinical trial data is available then you can get the emergency license for the product”.
Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla had termed Covaxin “just like water”. without naming him Dr Ella said, “We do 200% honest clinical trials and yet we receive backlash. “Covaxin has shown less than 10% adverse reactions, while others have 60% to 70% adverse reactions. I can assure our vaccine is 200% safe”
He also said Covaxin is not inferior to that developed by Pfizer. On the statement of AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria that Covaxin will be used as a “backup vaccine”, Dr Ella said, “It is a vaccine. It is not a backup. People should be responsible before making such statements.”
"Don't accuse us of inexperience. We are a global company, have manufactured 16 vaccines. It is not correct to say we are not transparent with data. We conduct clinical trials in many countries, including the UK. The point is we are not an Indian company but a global one," he added.
