Bharat Biotech has terminated “with immediate effect” a contract to introduce Covaxin in Brazil, the corporate mentioned on Friday.
The growth comes after Brazil opted to droop its roughly $320-million contract for 20 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine whereas it probed allegations over irregularities within the deal — a problem that has landed the Bolsonaro authorities in controversy.
It is unclear at this stage whether or not the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker’s resolution to terminate its November 24 contract with Precisa Medicamentos and Envixia Pharmaceuticals is a results of the controversy.
Bharat Biotech didn’t make clear in its assertion why it was terminating its contract.
Precisa Medicamentos had been enlisted as Bharat Biotech’s associate within the regulatory approvals for Covaxin in Brazil, together with the conduct of scientific trials for Covaxin there.
“The company has terminated the said MoU with immediate effect,” Bharat Biotech said Friday. “Notwithstanding such termination, Bharat Biotech will continue to work diligently with ANVISA, the Brazilian drug regulatory body to complete the regulatory approval process for Covaxin,” it mentioned.
Queries to Bharat Biotech about why it had terminated its contract with Precisa and Envixia remained unanswered by press time on Friday. The firm additionally didn’t reply to queries on whether or not it might be getting into into a brand new memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide the vaccine to Brazil and whether or not it deliberate to scale back the worth per dose of Covaxin to Brazil.
Bharat Biotech’s contract with the Brazil authorities to acquire Covaxin has been a topic of controversy over irregularities that embody allegations of a rise within the vaccine’s worth. The problem, which has additionally introduced Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro beneath fireplace, had prompted the nation’s Parliamentary Inquiry Committee to open an probe into the deal.
