SC talks to Center to clarify policy to revive PSUs vax maker

New Delhi, December 13, 2021:

On Monday, the Supreme Court urged the Center to clarify its policy on activating vaccine-producing PSUs. Many were closed during the UPA government, and the 2016 NDA promised to be revived after modernization. India is self-sustaining in the $ 2 billion domestic vaccine market.

Judges DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna have resigned to notify the federal government of the PIL submitted by the former Secretary of Health among the Vajpayee government, Amulya Ratna Nanda, and a few NGOs. The issue raised was that it “occurred only within the executive policy domain.”

However, the policy barriers raised by the SG did not discourage Bench from asking, “Do you want to know what that federal policy for vaccine-making PSUs is?” Mehta said the center would submit a detailed response to PIL and the SC would post an issue for further trial in January.

The petitioner through senior defender Colin Gonzalves drew court attention to the PIL filed in 2009. Private pharmaceutical company. The flimsy excuse given by the federal government in these proceedings was that the PSU did not comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). “

“This move in the case of the Covid-19 vaccine (Covaxin manufactured by the private company Bharat Biotech International Private Ltd) essentially resulted in paying twice as much for the vaccine. Private companies have already taken it. After that, we will take a margin from the public sector manufacturing of the final product. The government has allowed us to develop the product and the infrastructure needed to manufacture it. “

Plea: Three PSUs-Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals, Bulandshahr; Haffkine Biopharmaceuticals, Mumbai; Due to a policy, these PSUs have become contract manufacturers in the private sector. Talking about this issue, authorities have previously stated that it was the Center’s efforts that resulted in the PSU being roped to increase production of cobacxin in the pandemic.

Gonzalves said GMP standards should be adhered to for export purposes, not for local consumption. “The wife of the then (Health) Minister’s wife (UPA government) set up a vaccine park to import vaccines into Chennai while her husband was busy interfering with the PSU to eliminate competition.”  ET Health World