India is now staring at a long uncertain wait for vaccines as there are talks of third wave, and as the order books of Pfizer, Moderna and Jansen are already filled up. This is despite the good relations India shares with the countries where the pharmaceutical giants are based.

Government of India on January 02 had announced that a committee of experts appointed by it has permitted emergency use of Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate “Covaxin” and Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine which is being produced by the Serum Institute of India.

At that time, as mentioned in a statement given by the health ministry, Subject Expert Committee of Central Drugs Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) met for two days. The statement further added that the SEC of CDSCO had recommended that the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) “grant permission for restricted emergency use” of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, subject to multiple regulatory conditions to the Serum Institute of India based in Pune city.

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Subsequently, on February 03, the SEC had declined to recommend emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine that led the American pharmaceutical giant to withdraw its application.

Then the second wave of Covid19 came hounding delivering a rude shock, with dead bodies found floating in Ganga and many bodies nibbled away by dogs, a huge deficit of Oxygen, and suppression of information regarding Covid deaths. In this dystopic backdrop, on April 13, the GOI made a U-turn on the vaccine-front for procurement. It announced that it would not enforce the condition of phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in the country for vaccines that had been cleared by US, EU, UK, and Japanese regulators, and listed by the WHO.

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Inspite of the liberalized regulatory framework, after 45 days, pharma giants like Pfizer and Moderna are yet to enter into any purchase agreement with India.

India has reported 1,49,017 Covid-related deaths, between February 3 and May 24. The vaccine- shortage has slowed or stopped vaccinations across the country, plus the failure to vaccinate threatens to take away gains from the lockdowns imposed by almost all states.

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India, led by people who always paint a picture of Vishwaguru, and languishing with a vaccine shortage is not in any position to get vaccines from the pharma-giants like Pfizer and Moderna. The reason is simple.  Many other countries are in the line way ahead of India waiting for their confirmed & paid-for orders for vaccines. While other countries were placing orders, and US and EU were investing in vaccine research, authorities in India were busy in election rallies.

Therefore, India is essentially looking at a long time waiting for vaccines, as the government had been busy in elections, pushing ahead central vista project and twiddling thumbs on vaccine front.