Bharat Biotech, an Indian vaccine manufacturer, said on Friday that the Russia-Ukraine crisis had so far had no impact on its supply lines.
Unlike several Western companies including McDonald’s, Microsoft, CocaCola and Starbucks that have stopped sales or operations in Russia, no Indian company has publicly withdrawn from the region.
A few Indian pharmaceutical companies have a presence in Russia, exporting and selling medicines in the country. Sales to Russia between April and December last year reached $386 million, or 15% of the total exports to the country.
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories said on Wednesday it was focused on business continuity in and around Russia, while executives from Torrent Pharma and Zydus Lifesciences said they saw little or no sales impact due to the conflict.
“This was always a strategic decision at Bharat Biotech to develop and commercialise technologies developed within India and to reduce dependence on external sources,” it added. Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 shot Covaxin has accounted for 16.5% of the nearly 1.80 billion vaccine doses that have been administered to the Indian population so far.
