This is expected to ease up logistics for vaccine manufacturing and supply

The National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad has been notified as a Central Drugs Laboratory for quick release of vaccine batches for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection.

The government of India has already notified the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune as a Central Drug Laboratory (CDL). The funding support for this was provided under the PM-CARES funds.

The Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, said it continues support to scale up the vaccine development and manufacturing ecosystem. The setting up of facilities for vaccine testing at NCCS, Pune and NIAB, Hyderabad, is a step in this direction.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the two facilities are expected to test approximately 60 batches of vaccines per month.

Considering that the facilities are located in proximity to the vaccine manufacturing hubs of the nation, logistics for vaccine manufacturing and supply are expected to be eased up.

“The generous support through PM-CARES Funds and the relentless efforts of the two institutes have enabled the rapid up-gradation and setting up of the state-of-the-art, modern GLP Compliant vaccine testing facilities and contribute to the national requirement,” the Science Ministry said.

This would further strengthen the vaccine supply chain and boost the massive vaccination drive in India.