India is also in talks with the US administration for necessary components and raw materials for vaccines

India remains engaged with the United States vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson about sourcing and possible local manufacturing of their vaccines in India, the Ministry of External Affairs has said.

In a media briefing on Thursday, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We remain engaged with US vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson &Johnson.”

Similarly, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has also said that India is in touch with these vaccine majors about sourcing and possible local manufacturing of their vaccines in India.

“We have also helped to expedite the introduction of Sputnik-V vaccines,” FS Shringla said in his address to the WHO's South-East Asia Regional Health Partners’ Forum on COVID-19.

As vaccine shortages continue across various states in India, Pfizer on Wednesday said that it continues to remain engaged with the Government of India towards making its COVID-19 vaccine available for use in the country's immunization program.

Pfizer's statement came after the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) exempted specific trials of COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved by some other international regulatory bodies.

Meanwhile, Bagchi further said that India is also engaged with the US administration “to ensure that necessary components and raw materials for vaccines manufacturing production in India are readily available and the supply chain remains open.”

“This issue was taken up most recently during the visit of the External Affairs Minister to the United States. It is in our mutual interest to combat the global pandemic by expediting vaccination efforts,” he said.

On the Biden administration's promise to give millions of doses of COVID vaccine till June end, MEA spokesperson said that India is awaiting further details on the matter.

Over the issue of vaccine export to other countries, Bagchi said, "India has been at the forefront of extending assistance be it vaccines or other things to other countries. As we have repeatedly conveyed that we are currently purposing domestic vaccine production for our own vaccination program."