The Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss clarifies that claims made in an article accusing him of destroying India's self-sufficiency in vaccine production are false. Three public sector units that produced vaccines were ordered to stop production in 2008 due to failure to meet basic Good Manufacturing Practice standards. Ramadoss started building an Integrated Vaccine Complex intended to produce all vaccines needed for India's immunization program and to meet WHO standards, disproving claims that he shifted production to private sector. The complex could produce Covid vaccines but is yet to start production due to delays.

1. The Union health minister
Anbumani Ramadoss
clarifies I didn't 'destroy'
India's self-sufficiency in
vaccine production

2. An article, 'Who annihilated India's
antibody independence?', composed by
Bharat Bhushan and distributed on the
Business Standard site on May 17, faults
me for 'obliterating' India's independence in
immunization creation. The article further
says that I 'adequately moved
immunization assembling and government
acquirement to the private area'. These
claims are bogus.
The Union health minister Anbumani
Ramadoss clarifies I didn't 'destroy' India's
self-sufficiency in vaccine production
As referenced in the article, there are three
public area units (PSUs) creating
antibodies: Central Research Institute
(CRI) in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, began
in the year 1905; BCG Vaccine Laboratory
(BCGVL) in Guindy, Chennai, the most
established, began in the year 1899; and

3. Pasteur Institute of India (PII), Coonoor,
Tamil Nadu, began in the year 1907.
In the year 2007, the World Health
Organization (WHO) passed on its second
thoughts about the immunizations
produced by these three government-
possessed assembling units. WHO
proclaimed that India was giving
unsatisfactory antibodies to its residents.
We found a way pressing ways to improve
the framework at these units. More than Rs
30 crore was spent on each to improve the
offices.
The WHO pre-qualified principles are the
global standards for immunization creation.
Our PSUs were not even close to these
principles. WHO needed these units to at
any rate conform to the Indian principles,
the Good Manufacturing Practice norms of
India (Indian GMP). Notwithstanding

4. spending crores of rupees, our units
couldn't go along even with the Indian
GMP principles that are fundamental for
permitting. These foundations confronted
limitations like running in over exceptionally
old legacy structures. There was no space
for extension, and remodel was
unimaginable.
At last, we had to give requests to these
units to stop antibody creation till such time
as they increased their expectations to
Indian GMP, the fundamental norm. It was
my obligation as a specialist and Minister
of Health to guarantee that the moms and
offspring of the nation didn't get
unacceptable antibodies created in these
units. These units were rarely shut. There
was never any endeavor to close these
units. They were just approached to stop
creation until their principles were raised to
conform to the fundamental norms, the

5. Indian GMP.
The request to stop creation was given in
January 2008. I ventured down from the
workplace of the Minister of Health in
February 2009. Thirteen years subsequent
to halting creation, different endeavors
made by my replacements at the
workplace of the Minister of Health to
recommence creation at these units have
not appeared. Crores of rupees spent on
these units went down the channel.
The bogus story of me shutting down the
three state-claimed antibody creation units
was examined by a board of trustees
headed by Javid Chowdhury. The assertion
in the said article that "the Javid
Chowdhury advisory group, which held the
suspension of their licenses inaccurate,
illicit and imperfect" is additionally bogus.
The board of trustees found that there was

6. no at first sight proof for charges against
me. It decided that the stoppage of
immunization creation was required due to
the disappointment of these units to
conform to the GMP.
The writer of the article asserts that "at that
point up to 80 percent of India's antibodies
for the Universal Immunization Program
were sourced from the public area and
today 90% of the antibodies are acquired
from the private area at a greater
expense". This is another bogus claim. The
truth of the matter is that the consolidated
creation limit of the over three units never
surpassed 10% of the interest around then
and even before that administration
obtained 90% of the antibody from
privately owned businesses. I endeavored
to turn around the present circumstance.
Simultaneously, when these three PSUs

7. were requested to stop creation for not
conforming to the Indian GMP, I started
constructing an Integrated Vaccine
Complex (IVC) in Chengalpattu, Tamil
Nadu. 100 sections of land of land at
Chengalpattu was obtained from the
Government of Tamil Nadu. A measure of
Rs 800 crore was reserved for this venture
and work was started in the year 2008
itself.
The IVC was intended to be the greatest in
Asia, claimed and worked 100% by the
Government of India. It can create every
one of the antibodies needed for the
Universal Immunization Program of our
country. It was intended to be a-list office to
agree with the WHO pre-capability
principles. In the event that I were
preferring privately owned businesses, for
what reason would it be a good idea for me
to start a particularly tremendous

8. government adventure?
This middle would create immunizations for
homegrown use as well as can trade
antibodies and acquire unfamiliar trade for
the country. This office could deliver seven
unique sorts of immunizations like fluid
pentavalent antibody (LPV), hepatitis-B,
haemophilus flu Type B, rabies, Japanese
encephalitis E, BCG, and measles and
rubella antibody. Fortunately this unit could
likewise create Covid immunizations.
The creator faults me for moving
immunization creation to the private area.
In any case, the truth of the matter is that I
dared to fabricate government ability to
create 100% of the antibody necessity for
the country's widespread vaccination
programs.
Crafted by the IVC began in the year 2008

9. fully intent on beginning antibody creation
inside two years, for example in the year
2010 itself. Even following 13 difficult
years, creation is yet to begin. As much as
95% of the work was over as ahead of
schedule as 2017. For obscure reasons,
last works were not finished and
immunization creation has not been begun.
Two or three months' work and a little
venture of Rs 300 crore will make it
operational. The public authority ought to
do this on need and begin creating Covid
immunizations at this office. This would
lessen the expense of immunizations by a
few times. This selective government firm
can deliver 20 million portions of Covid
antibodies each month inside a half year.
The limit can be expanded to create 1
billion dosages over the long run. This will
be the solution to India's all antibody
needs.

10. The creator dishonestly charges me when
he specifies about an individual from my
ideological group claiming pharma
organizations. Our own is a gathering of
workers. The connections he has
expounded on me and some pharma
organizations are false.
The Covid pandemic is a public crisis. It is
the obligation of every last one of us to add
to the battle against the infection. Anybody
endeavoring to redirect issues by
introducing bogus data and bogus charges
is really neutralizing the interests of the
general public.