The Oxford-Astrazenica vaccine (COVISHIELD) is also licensed to be produced in India by Serum Institute in India (SII). Its the world's largest vaccine manufacturer. By some estimates, about 70% of the world's vaccines are manufactured by SII.
In addition, another Indian company called Bharat Biotech has a vaccine developed entirely in India (Covaxin) that is also widely distributed in India. It's important to note that this vaccine uses a different approach to the vaccine and it can fight even the mutated version of the coronavirus.
As on 25/April/2021, the Government of India has exported 66 Million doses of Vaccine to 95 countries (1). Even UK has received 5 million doses to supplement its vaccine supply from India.
The Indian vaccines have the lowest cost. The reality is without Indian manufacturing at scale, a large section of the world population will not get the covid vaccine any time soon.
The Indian vaccine manufacturing is not able to scale more because of the restriction introduced by US President Joe Biden to protect only the US interests.
It is an established fact that the US capital markets suck up the capital across the world.
Similarly, the Joe Bidens executive orders prioritising U.S.A over other countries are sucking up the raw materials needed for producing covid vaccines.
I don't want to repeat the facts, the following open letter from renounced think tank from India states the facts clearly.
https://www.vifindia.org/article/2021/april/24/to-friends-in-thenited-states-ease-global-vaccine-manufacturing?s=09
Joe Biden is the worst protectionist on the planet today, hurting humanity and the world economy.
This negative impact on the rest of the world is something U.S.A is fully aware of. The diplomatic discussions between USA and India have picked up this topic and failed to make any progress (4)
The rest of the world does not need the Pfizer vaccine as most can't afford to store it in minus -70 degrees Celcius. It's not even about intellectual property rights, as long as the U.S.A don't choke the supply chain for vaccine raw materials as they do now, the world will move on.
The 'Hindu Nationalist' government in India is scaling up and exporting vaccines around the globe. The 'capitalist and free government' based in the American continent is choking the vaccine supply chain around the world.
The Financial Times and Economist magazines will not write about it.
The people around the world are not idiots, they are also watching and talking about this.
Additional references:
1. List of counties that received vaccines from India
https://www.mea.gov.in/vaccine-supply.htm
2. https://www.businesstoday.in/coronavirus/why-is-biden-administration-curbing-export-of-covid-19-vaccine-raw-material/story/433072.html
3. Lancet article on different Covid vaccines
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00306-8/fulltext
4. US State department briefing.
https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-april-22-2021/#post-237339-INDIA
