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AstraZeneca 2nd doses: SPC in talks with Covishield suppliers

30 May 2021

  • AstraZeneca sole authorised regional supplier writes to SPC 

  • Urges Govt. to exercise caution with counterfeit suppliers 

  • Govt. checking proposals for Covishield authenticity: Dr. Sudarshini     

By Maheesha Mudugamuwa    The Government is currently negotiating with prospective suppliers of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield Covid-19 vaccine to secure the required stocks for administration of the second dose, The Sunday Morning learnt.  Accordingly, discussions are ongoing between the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC), which is the authorised local importer of Covid-19 vaccines, and suppliers from different countries, including the UK and the US.  Speaking to The Sunday Morning, SPC General Manager Dinusha Dassanayake said that a final decision has not yet been taken with regard to the supply of the required Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine doses, but that the SPC is negotiating with the agencies and suppliers.  Covishield is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic situation in India, the SII has temporarily halted the export of vaccines, and has therefore not been able to deliver the order placed by Sri Lanka prior to the enforcement of the said ban. Sri Lanka has therefore had to look elsewhere for stocks of the same.  When queried as to whether the SPC received any response from the SII, Dassanayake said that there was no response as of yet. “We’re not holding any discussions with the SII, as they have not responded yet,” he reiterated.  The Government is attempting to secure the required 600,000 Covishield vaccines for the administration of the second dose.  According to Dassanayake, negotiations are being held with the suppliers who have responded to the Government’s request to obtain the vaccines.  Meanwhile, a media statement issued by the SII noted that their vaccine supply would be normalised towards the end of this year, and also that Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccines could only be purchased from Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX), the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and SII.  However, in a letter written to SPC Chairman Dr. Prasanna Gunasena, AstraZeneca Singapore Pvt. Ltd., which is the Covishield vaccine’s sole authorised regional supplier, has informed that AstraZeneca’s current focus is on delivering on their substantial global commitments to governments and international health organisations as quickly as possible in order to help end the pandemic.  “There is currently no private sector supply, sale, or distribution of the vaccine. If a trader or company other than AstraZeneca offers private vaccines, it is likely to be counterfeit, and therefore should be refused and reported to the relevant authority,” the company stated.  In its letter, the company has stated that they have learnt that numerous private traders and companies have been approaching the Government of Sri Lanka to sell the Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca.  However, when contacted by The Sunday Morning, State Minister of Primary Healthcare, Epidemics, and Covid-19 Disease Control Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle said the Government is carefully negotiating the proposals that have come from different countries to ascertain whether the vaccines that they are offering are the original Covishield vaccines, or whether those are duplicates. “We are very cautious about choosing the prospective suppliers out of the proposals received by the Government,” she noted.   Sri Lanka started its Covid-19 vaccination programme in late January, after receiving 500,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine from India as a gift. Subsequently, Sri Lanka placed orders with the SII for more doses of the Covishield vaccine.   However, the inoculation programme was affected, as SII suspended vaccine exports due to a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in India.  Cabinet Co-Spokesman Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said last week that SII cannot keep up with the demand due to rising numbers of Covid-19 patients in India, and also because one of their factory plants was damaged in a fire.   Therefore, the Government of Sri Lanka is looking at alternate avenues, including foreign governments and open markets, to obtain the vaccine for citizens who received the first dose of the same.  Meanwhile, during the course of last week, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal to purchase one million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine. As of now, only around 300,000 Sri Lankans were given the second dose, while almost one million Sri Lankans were given the first dose of the said vaccine.   


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