Summary:
Hyderabad, Apr 1 (PTI) Bharat Biotech on Friday announced temporary slowing down of production of its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin across its manufacturing facilities, having completed its supply obligations to procurement agencies and foreseeing a decrease in demand.
The company, in a press release, said Bharat Biotech will focus on pending facility maintenance, process and facility optimisation activities for the coming period.
According to sources, the facility optimisation was also "suggested" by a recent World Health Organisation inspection team.
As all existing facilities were repurposed for the manufacture of Covaxin with continuous production over the past year to meet the public health emergency, the upgrades were due, Bharat Biotech said.
Certain highly sophisticated equipment that were required to enhance the process stringency were unavailable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has to be stressed that the quality of Covaxin was never compromised at any point in time, the company said.