Bharat Biotech may begin paediatric trials of its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin from June, said the company's Business Development and International Advocacy Head Dr Raches Ella on Sunday. Holding a virtual conversation with members of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) Hyderabad on "All About Vaccines, he said that the company expected approval from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Covaxin by the end of the third or fourth quarter.

"I am happy that our hard work is paying off well as the vaccine is working well and saving lives. We have this good feeling when we go back home from work each day. We will be soon ramping up our manufacturing capacity to 700 million doses by the end of this year," informed Dr. Raches Ella as a response to a question from a participant. "We are happy to have the full support of the government because of which we are able to stand where we are today in this journey. The vaccine is co-developed by us and ICMR. The Government placed an advanced purchase order of Rs 1,500 crores. This will help us to increase our risk appetite. That is why we are expanding to Bangalore and Gujarat," informed the young executive of Bharath Biotech.