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Health ministry rejects claim Covaxin was rushed due to political pressure
The Union Health Ministry on Thursday termed as ‘misleading’ and ‘fallacious’ media reports which claimed that regulatory approval for Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin was rushed due to political pressure. It said scientific approach and prescribed norms were adhered to in approving Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use authorisation.
There have been media reports claiming that Bharat Biotech, manufacturer of the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin, ‘had to skip certain processes’ and ‘speed’ up clinical trials due to political pressure, the ministry said.
While Bharat Biotech, the Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin maker on Thursday said there was no external pressure on the firm to speed up its development. In a press release, the vaccine maker said with several hundred million doses administered worldwide, Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin has demonstrated an excellent safety record with minimal adverse events and no vaccine-associated cases detected for myocarditis or thrombocytopenia.
“There was no external pressure to accelerate development of Covaxin,” it said, adding the pressure was all internal to develop a safe and effective vaccine for the Covid-19 pandemic, to save lives and livelihoods in India and globally. PTI