Hyderabad’s Biological E to get mRNA technology from WHO to produce Covid vaccines
India Today
Biological E and the Indian government will work together with WHO and their partners to develop a roadmap for producing mRNA vaccines as soon as possible. At present, India has no Covid-19 vaccine made on mRNA platform.
Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Biological E. Limited (BE) on Monday announced that it had been selected as a recipient of mRNA technology from the World Health Organisation (WHO) technology transfer hub.
The company produces a number of critical and life-saving vaccines, including Corbevax.
The company was selected by WHO’s Advisory Committee on Vaccine Product Development (ACPDV) after they examined a number of proposals from India.
WHO and their partners will work with the Indian government and BE to develop a roadmap and put in place the necessary training and support for the company to start producing mRNA vaccines as soon as possible.
Primarily set up to address the Covid-19 emergency, the WHO mRNA technology transfer hub has the potential to expand manufacturing capacity for other products as well, including treatments, and target other priorities.
mRNA vaccines use a messenger RNA created in a laboratory to teach the human cells how to produce a protein that in turn initiates an immune response inside the body against a particular disease.
The immune response will fight the actual virus as it gets into the body. At present, India has no Covid-19 vaccine made on mRNA platform.