The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday said that newborn calf serum is not an ingredient of the final Covaxin vaccine by Bharat Biotech.
The ministry in a statement said that facts have been “twisted and misrepresented” in some social media posts which suggested that indigenously developed Covaxin contains newborn calf serum. The Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer also in a statement said that while the serum is used in the process of making the vaccine, it is not present in the final formulated product.
Newborn calf serum is used only for the preparation and growth of vero cells and that serum from bovine and other animal are standard enrichment ingredient used globally for vero cell growth, the ministry of health and family welfare said.
“Different kinds of bovine and other animal serum are standard enrichment ingredients used globally for Vero cell growth. Vero cells are used to establish cell lines that help in the production of vaccines. This technique has been used for decades in Polio, Rabies, and Influenza vaccines,” the ministry said.
These Vero cells, after the viral growth, are washed with water, with chemicals, technically known as buffer, many times to make it free from the newborn calf serum. Thereafter, these Vero cells are infected with coronavirus for viral growth.
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