Serum Institute chief Adar Poonawalla, who moved to the UK earlier this month, on Tuesday said his firm has "never exported vaccines at the cost of the people of India".
In the statement, Poonawalla also explained the circumstances in which consignments of vaccines were sent abroad and the commitments made by the government in the initial stages of the pandemic last year.
When the vaccines were launched in January, there was a stockpile in India. The Covid numbers were also at an "all-time low." At the same time, many other nations were in an "acute crisis" and in "desperate need of help". The government, he said, extended whatever help was possible.
The Serum Institute chief's statement came amid much opposition criticism of the government over the vaccine shortage.
TRIALS IN CHILDREN: The Phase II/III clinical trials of Covaxin in the 2-18-year-old category will begin in the next 10-12 days, senior NITI Aayog member VK Paul announced on Tuesday. The trial will take place on 525 subjects at various sites. Most nations are yet to approve any vaccine for the use of children. Last week, the US authorised Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged between 12 years and 15 years.
