Russia-Ukraine war: Bharat Biotech supply chain not affected due to conflict

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin accounted for 16.5 per cent of all vaccine shots administered in India.

Indian vaccine producer Bharat Biotech on Friday stated the Russia-Ukraine war had not affected the company's supply chains so far.

Most Western companies, including McDonald's, Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Starbucks, have announced to halt their operation in Russia; however, no Indian company has publicly withdrawn from the region. 

Few pharmaceutical companies are currently in Russia, exporting and selling medicines in the country. Between April and December last year, sales to Russia reached $386 million, or 15 per cent of the total exports to the country. 

On Wednesday, Dr Reddy's Laboratories stated that it was focused on business continuity in and around Russia, while executives from Torrent Pharma and Zydus Lifesciences stated that the conflict had little or no impact on sales.

The production of Bharat Biotech's homegrown Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin has been fully indigenised; all (active pharmaceutical ingredients) and critical raw materials are manufactured within India, the group said in an emailed statement. 

It further added that this was always a strategic decision at Bharat Biotech to develop and commercialise technologies developed within India and to lower dependence on external sources. 

Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin has accounted for 16 per cent of nearly 1.80 billion vaccine doses that have been administered to the Indian population so far.