Key Points
New Delhi: Two days after it emerged that Bharat Biotech applied for patents as sole inventor of Indias first indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, without any mention of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker has clarified that it is adding ICMR as a co-inventor in the filings...
The government health research agency also supported clinical development of the vaccine through assistance in conducting clinical trials...
ThePrint reached ICMR Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl for comment but he was unavailable.ThePrint also reached Bharat Biotech for clarity on when it filed for patents for Covaxin in India, the US and Europe but had not received a response till the time of publication.This report will be updated if and when a response is received...
In July 2021, in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the then minister of state for health had informed the Upper House that an MoU between the ICMR and BBIL included terms like collaboration for the development of an inactivated whole cell COVID-19 vaccine and ICMR had provided a well characterised virus strain to the company for this purpose...
Parliament was also apprised that as per the MoU, ICMR was to receive five percent royalty on net sales to be paid on a half-yearly basis.Another term of the agreement, according to the reply, was that the vaccine would be in the joint name of Bharat Biotech and ICMR and the apex state-run health research agencys logo would appear on the product label...
