No Calf Serum in Final Covaxin Dose – Bharat Biotech

Barely a day after an RTI was filed by Vikas Patni claiming that new calf serum is being used in revival of vero cells which is used for the final production of Covaxin, Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad-based manufacturer of Covaxin has issued a statement clearing the controversy.

Bharat Biotech in its statement issued on June 16, Wednesday said, “Newborn calf serum is used in the manufacturing of viral vaccines. It is used for the growth of cells, but neither used in growth of SARS CoV2 virus nor in the final formulation. Covaxin is highly purified to contain only the inactivated virus components by removing all other impurities.”

The Union Government too stepped into the matter after opposition party member, Gaurav Pandhi, said that the use of the new calf’s serum in the vaccine was ‘heinous.’

Union Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan called the ‘facts to be twisted and misrepresented’. Vardhan in his statement clarified that the newborn calf serum is used for the preparation and growth of vero cells, stating that these techniques have been in place for decades in vaccines manufactured for Polio, Rabies, and Influenza.

However, these “vero cells are completely destroyed in the process of viral growth and so this ‘grown virus’ is also killed (inactivated) and purified. This killed virus is then used to make the final vaccine, and in the final vaccine formulation no calf serum is used”, the health ministry said.

“Hence, the final vaccine (COVAXIN) does not contain newborn calf serum at all and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product,” the Union Government said.