Indian drugmaker Shilpa Medicare Limited had agreed to produce Cadila Healthcare Ltd’s three-dose COVID-19 vaccine, it said on Friday.
The emergency approval has been given to the country’s health authorities in August for Cadila’s vaccine, the world’s first coronavirus DNA shot, in adults and in children aged between 12 years and above.
Cadila aims to make 100 million to 120 million doses of ZyCoV-D a year and is expected to begin supplying its vaccine from next month.
While India’s vaccination programme focusses to vaccinate all the individuals who are eligible adults by December as well as the country also expects to restart the exports to meet its commitments under the global COVAX initiative from October to December.
Shilpa Medicare said its unit will make the vaccine’s drug substance, while Cadila will package, distribute and market the shot.
The targeted production of the ZyCoV-D vaccine from Shilpa Medicare’s facility in Karnataka has not been disclosed. Cadila and Shilpa Medicare didn’t immediately answer Reuters requests seeking details on the deal.
A government source told Reuters last week that Cadila Healthcare will supply 10 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in October.
Shilpa Medicare also produces the Russian Sputnik V vaccine under an agreement with Indian pharma giant Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.
Shares of Shilpa Medicare, which rose about 2% after the announcement, were last down about 0.6%. Cadila Healthcare’s shares were unchanged.
