Beacon Pharma trying to bring Covid vaccines from Russia, China

Beacon Pharmaceuticals is trying to bring Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to Bangladesh, but it finds it very difficult to get it ‘readymade’.

“We are trying to import Sputnik V and China’s Sinopharm vaccines. But talks are at a very initial stage,” Ebadul Karim, managing director of Beacon Pharma, told the Business Insider Bangladesh on Monday.

“What we came to know so far is that Russia won’t be able to provide the vaccines readymade. We have to produce the vaccines here,” he said.

But Beacon’s laboratory is not ready to produce the vaccine, Karim said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Committee on Emergency Public Health Medicines, Experimental Medicines, Vaccines and Medical Equipment of the health ministry gave the approval to use Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use in Bangladesh.

Disclosing the issue the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) said some 40 lakh doses of Sputnik V Vaccines are expected to come into Bangladesh by the next month.

Incepta Pharmaceuticals also tried to import USA-made Moderna vaccine, but the company said that it cannot give the vaccines before 2022, Abdul Muktadir, managing director of Incepta, told the Business Insider Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is struggling to vaccinate its huge population — 17 crore.

In December last year a tripartite deal was signed involving the government, Beximco and Serum Institute of India for supply of Oxford’s 3 crore doses of AstraZeneca vaccines.

Serum was supposed to provide 50 lakh doses per month from January to June this year. It, however, shipped only 70 lakh doses so far.

Bangladesh has paid Serum the full amount — Tk 1,300 crore — in advance for the vaccines, but now it cannot ship the vaccines as the Government of India has banned export.