The chief executive officer of the Serum Institute of India, which is the local maker of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and pharmaceuticals company AstraZeneca, on Sunday said that the company was given emergency use approval in India on the condition that the shots are not exported. In an interview to AP, Adar Poonawalla said India will not allow the export of the vaccine to other countries for several months.
The government wants to ensure that vulnerable populations in India are protected, Poonawalla said after the shot was approved for emergency use in the world’s second-most populous country. “We can only give [the vaccines] to the government of India at the moment,” the CEO added. “We can’t vaccinate everybody right now. We can prioritise.”
He said the company has also been barred from selling the vaccine on the private market to prevent hoarding. “We’ll have to go by their [the government’s] guidance and wisdom because they…