The UK’s reluctance to recognize the SII jab is likely due to the branding

The UK eased quarantine rules for fully vaccinated individuals earlier this week, but excluded those who have been given doses of vaccines manufactured in certain geographies, including Covishield, which is manufactured by the UK. Serum Institute of India (SII).

The announcement mandated tourists from other low- and middle-income countries traveling to India and the UK to follow 10-day quarantine rules without vaccination, despite receiving both doses of the vaccine.

“The Oxford Vaccine is produced by AstraZeneca and Serum Institute of India (SII) at various manufacturing sites. The technology and data on which the Oxford Vaccine was registered and the quality assured by the World Health Organization remain the same. However, separate brand names were given for the high-income and low-income markets to prevent the supply of the SII product to high-income countries. As a result, SII is not registered with the UK and European Medicines Agency,” said Lina Menghani, a legal expert on business and public health.

In a U-turn, the UK said on Wednesday that it will recognize Covishield brands from regulators in Australia, Antigua, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Barbados, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and others. , Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. However, India is still not on the list of approved regulators.

SII did not respond to email query Mint Seeking clarification on the agreement entered into with AstraZeneca regarding the use of its brand name in regulated markets.

In July, Education Minister Nadim Zhawai told the UK Parliament that although SII AstraZeneca manufactures both the Covishield and VaxZeveria brands of vaccine, Vaxzevaria was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, but it approved the use of Covishield. was not given. In the U.K.

SII and its Netherlands subsidiary Bilthoven Biologics continue to manufacture the Vaxjeveria vaccine brand. Though India has temporarily stopped exports of Covishield since March, more than 20 countries had received vaccines from SII. In addition, over 90 countries from low- and middle-income countries are expected to receive Covishield under the Kovax facility in the coming months.

According to publicly available documents, distribution and commercialization rights for ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, the original name of the vaccine candidate, now known as AZD1222, developed by the University of Oxford, which belongs to AstraZeneca, Which also has the right to certify companies to sell the vaccine. .

SII received a sub-license to distribute the vaccine under the Covishield brand to low- and middle-income countries. It is obliged to supply more than a billion vaccine doses under the agreement. AstraZeneca owns the rights to distribute the vaccine in advanced markets.

Menghani said that the Indian government and other countries, which have got the Kovidshield vaccine, should take up this discriminatory issue with the WTO.