Covaxin does not contain newborn calf serum, says Bharat Biotech

The utilization of new child calf serum was transparently documented in lots of publications over the past 9 months, it added.

Bharat Biotech on Wednesday stated Covaxin didn’t comprise new child calf serum and it was not an ingredient used within the remaining formulation of the Covid-19 vaccine. The corporate was responding to social media posts on the composition of Covaxin which stated it contained new child calf serum.

“New child calf serum is used within the manufacturing of viral vaccines. It’s used for the expansion of cells, nevertheless it has neither been used within the progress of the SARS CoV2 virus, nor the ultimate formulation. Covaxin is very purified to comprise solely the inactivated virus elements by eradicating all different impurities. Bovine serum is broadly used within the manufacture of vaccines globally for a number of a long time,” the corporate stated.

The utilization of new child calf serum was transparently documented in lots of publications over the past 9 months, it added.

The corporate defined that totally different sorts of bovine and different animal serum had been normal enrichment ingredient used globally for vero cell progress. Vero cells are used to ascertain cell strains that assist in the manufacturing of vaccines. This system has been used for many years in polio, rabies and influenza vaccines, the corporate stated.

The vero cells, after the expansion, are washed with water and chemical compounds many instances to make them free from the new child calf serum. Thereafter, these vero cells are contaminated with the coronavirus for viral progress. The vero cells are destroyed within the technique of viral progress. The grown virus can also be killed and purified. This killed virus is then used to make the ultimate vaccine, and within the remaining vaccine formulation no calf serum is used, the corporate stated.