New Delhi: Amid four cases of monkeypox and some more suspected were reported in India, vaccine manufacturing company Serum Institute of India's (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla said that his company spending its fund to import a few million doses of the Danish smallpox vaccine if more infections are reported in the country in the coming days. He said that the initial consignment of the vaccine, developed by a Danish manufacturer will arrive in a few months after a contract is signed.
"We are talking to them...That's a decision the government of India will eventually have to make with the experts - should we, like other nations, start stockpiling a small quantity, just a few million doses of the vaccine. I am prepared to import it at risk at my cost, initially, in small volumes. Eventually, the government will have to decide on a health policy," Poonawalla said in an interview with NDTV.
"In an emergency, we could always do the full finish of the product made by that company. That would give access to Indians without safety issues - since the vaccine is time-tested. To make it from scratch will take some time. Bulk supply should be adequate to handle," he added.
Meanwhile Poonawalla said that the SII is "exploring the development of a new Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine for monkeypox in collaboration with one of its global partners Novavax. In an interview with NDTV, the vaccine manufacturer said, "As a vaccine manufacturer equipped with technological know-how, we are looking at talking to partners. We are talking to Novovax. We need to see whether there will be a lot of demand or whether in three to four months it fizzles out."
Meanwhile, Poonawalla said that the SII is