The Center has taken steps to increase domestic vaccine production. Under a technology transfer agreement with Bharat Biotech, Mumbai-based Haffkine Biopharma will produce 22.8 crore doses of Covaxin per year.

Domestic vaccine production is steadily ramping up in the country with the help of the Centre, with the goal of vaccinating the entire eligible population as soon as possible.

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The Department of Biotechnology is supporting three public companies (Haffkine Biopharmaceutical Corporation Ltd, Mumbai, Indian Immunologicals Ltd, Hyderabad and Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Ltd, Bulandshahr, UP) as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 Mission 'Covid Suraksha' campaign.

Given the growing demand for coronavirus vaccination, a pharma company in Maharashtra has stepped forward to prepare for mass production of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.

Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited (HBPCL), a Maharashtra government undertaking, will be able to produce over 22 crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine per year once the necessary facilities are in place, the firm's MD told ANI news agency.

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According to Sandeep Rathod, Managing Director of Haffkine BioPharma, the company plans to produce 22.8 crore doses of Covaxin per year.

"For undertaking production of Covaxin, Haffkine Biopharma has been provided with Rs 65 crore grant by the Centre and Rs 94 crore from the Government of Maharashtra, we have been given a timeline of eight months and the work is being executed on a war footing. The vaccine production process involves two stages -- drug substance and final drug product. For production of drug substance we need to build a Bio Safety Level 3 (BSL 3) facility, while Haffkine already has the Fill Finish facility", Rathod stated.

BSL 3 is a safety standard that applies to centers where work involves microbes that can cause severe illnesses through inhalation.

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