Bharat Biotech Expects to Make 700 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses

India’s Bharat Biotech plans to produce 700 million doses of its newly approved vaccine this year, the company’s managing director Krishna Ella said Monday.

The emergency use approval of Bharat’s Covaxin over the weekend by India’s drug regulators along with approval of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine – called Covishield in India – raised concern among critics who noted that a phase 3 trial of Covaxin only began in mid-November so full efficacy data aren’t yet available.

Bharat Biotech is in negotiations to provide Covaxin vaccine doses to the Indian government but hasn’t yet disclosed pricing details.