India's Serum Institute Urges Biden To Lift Embargo On Raw Material Exports

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th April, 2021) The Serum Institute of India (SII), which produces COVID-19 vaccines, asked US President Joe Biden on Friday to waive the embargo on the export of raw materials to help countries step up vaccine production.

"Respected [President of the United States], if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up," Adar Poonawalla, the SII CEO and owner, tweeted.

In April 2020, former US President Donald Trump invoked Defense Production Act preventing the export of critical medical materials to prioritize domestic production of personal protective equipment and development of home-grown vaccines.

The Serum Institute of India is one of the nation's largest pharmaceutical companies, which is currently manufacturing its own version of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine � Covishield. It also has a vaccine partnership with the US company Novavax. In late March, the SII said that it expected to roll out the Novavax vaccine version by September.