Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that Haffkine Institute in Parel needs to look into conducting research on COVID-19 vaccines soon. The CM made these comments during a review meeting related to Haffkine Institute which also had Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh in attendance, as per an official statement.
“Priority needs to be given to conduct research on a big scale here in the time to come (sic) and the state government will extend all cooperation required for the same,” the CM said.
This institute is tasked with producing vaccines for a variety of diseases, including polio, while also conducting research. Haffkine is one of the oldest biomedical research institutes in India, established on 10 August 1899 by Dr Waldemar Mordecai Haffkine, a bacteriologist known for his anti-cholera vaccine.
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Thackeray said that the institute should also focus on research in addition to the production of the COVID-19 vaccines. He further said that efforts should be put in place to secure vaccine technology transfer from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech. ICMR and Bharat Biotech joined forces to develop the country’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, known as Covaxin.
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Thackeray went on to say that the State will provide all support to establish a modern vaccine research facility at Haffkine over a period of time. The CM also commended the institute’s polio vaccine production abilities, having produced over 28 crore vaccines in the last six months.
He stressed on the need to start producing vaccines at Haffkine, adding “It will be a matter of pride for all of us if the institute succeeds in producing (COVID-19) vaccine.”
The aforementioned statement also said that a committee which was formed by the state with reputed scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar as the chairman has recommended the allocation of ₹1,100 crores to implement five projects at Haffkine over the next five years.
The statement also mentions that the Chief Minister backs the proposal of the committee and has asked the relevant authorities to chart a detailed plan for the five projects within 15 days. It’s worth pointing out that senior bureaucrats and the State Medical Education Minister are part of the Haffkine Institute’s governing council.
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