“We don’t deserve this backlash” – Dr.Krishna Ella, Bharat Biotech Chairman

January 4,2021 New Delhi: 

The chairman of Bharat Biotech – whose coronavirus vaccine Covaxin has been given “restricted use in emergency situation in public interest” – hit out Monday at critics flagging the lack of Phase III trial data and questioning the drug’s efficacy. “We don’t deserve this backlash,” an indignant Dr Krishna Ella said.

Addressing a virtual press conference this evening Dr Ella said his company had carried out “200 per cent honest clinical trials”, had an established track record in producing 16 safe and efficacious vaccines, and was transparent with all data.

“Don’t accuse us of inexperience. We are a global company… have manufactured 16 vaccines. It is not correct to say we are not transparent with data. We conduct clinical trials in many countries, including the UK. The point is we are not an Indian company… but a global one,” he stressed.

“We have published in a lot of journals. We were the first to identify the Zika virus and the first to file a global patent for the Zika vaccine and the Chikungunya vaccine. It is not correct to say that we are not transparent with data… we don’t deserve the backlash,” Dr Ella added.

He also said the company had “the only BSL-3 (bio-safety level 3) production facility in the world”.