Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Nov 6: Covaxin, the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Bharat Biotech, has close to 50 million doses that will soon expire due to low demand, according to corporate sources.
Covaxin, a two dose vaccination, was put on hold earlier this year by Bharat Biotech due to a lack of consumer demand, despite the fact that the vaccine manufacturer has constructed manufacturing to reach an annualised capacity of 1 billion doses by the end of 2021.
“Bharat Biotech has more than 200 million doses of Covaxin in bulk form and approximately 50 million doses in vials ready to use. Due to lack of product demand, production stoppage of Covaxin was initiated several months ago, earlier this year,” sources told PTI.
“Covaxin doses in vials are set to expire during early 2023, resulting in losses for the company,” it added.
However, it is unknown how much money Bharat Biotech would lose if all 50 million dosages ran out the next year.
According to data from the Union Health Ministry, India recorded 1,082 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, while the total number of active cases dropped to 15,200.
Currently, the nationwide vaccination campaign has provided 219.71 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccinations, including Covaxin. Exports of Covaxin were significantly impacted by low take-up by other nations as the infection rate has been steadily dropping internationally.