KTR Asks For Vaccination Testing Lab In Hyderabad

Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao today urged the BJP-led Centre to establish a vaccination testing facility in the state capital, Hyderabad, without any delay.

In a letter addressed to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, he pointed out that the city had become the vaccine capital of the nation, and stated that there was an urgent need to set up a vaccine testing centre, similar to the Central Drug Laboratory at Kasauli, in Hyderabad as well.

"If a vaccine testing centre is established in Hyderabad, an additional 8 to 10 crores of vaccine doses could be produced here every month. This will significantly boost the possibility of producing 100 crore doses in the coming six months which are critical in the nation's fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, keeping in mind the current need for Covid-19 injections, such a centre should be established immediately," he said.

Further highlighting the need for the testing centre, Rao stated, "When the nation today needs vaccines urgently, big vaccine manufacturers based in Hyderabad lose valuable time by having to send every batch for testing to the national vaccine testing facility in Kasauli. This process results in the loss of about 45 days each time. Therefore, the absence of a testing facility in Hyderabad is a huge hindrance to amping up vaccine production."

KTR added that the state government would extend its cooperation for the setting up of the centre and would pursue the matter as a priority.

"Our government is ready to provide the land required for such a lab in the Genome Valley. It is time the Centre supports this and takes the steps to establish one," he demanded.

It is pertinent here to mention that India's first indigenous Covid019 vaccine, Covaxin, was developed by the Hyderabad-based firm Bharat Biotech.