Serum sends 4.5M AstraZeneca doses to Bangladesh

The Serum Institute of India has sent 4.5 million more doses of AstraZeneca (COVISHIELD) on Wednesday night.

"A consignment carrying the vaccines landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:10pm," Rabbur Reza, chief operating officer of Beximco Pharmaceuticals told The Business Standard.

"These vaccine doses are delivered under the GoB/Serum agreement," he added. 

According to the tripartite agreement signed in November last year, Serum is supposed to deliver three crore doses of the Covishield vaccine developed in collaboration with Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

Serum sent 70 lakh doses in two consignments till February this year.

However, the neighbouring country announced a halt on vaccine export in late March following a massive outbreak of Covid-19 there.

After seven-month halt, Serum resumed vaccine export in October.

Under the agreement, Serum has delivered 12.5 million doses to Bangladesh so far.