Fire at building site for India's Serum Institute: vaccine output not hit, says source

21 January 2021 - 12:43 By Reuters
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A fire has broken out at a plant being built for the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker. File photo.
A fire has broken out at a plant being built for the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker. File photo.
Image: REUTERS/Amit Dave

A big fire has broken out at a plant being built for the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker, but it will not affect production of coronavirus vaccines, a source close to the firm said.

SII is manufacturing a vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca for India and many other low- and middle-income countries. The company is also getting ready to produce a vaccine being developed by the US company Novavax Inc.

The fire office in the western Indian city of Pune, where SII is based, told Reuters that five fire trucks had been sent to the site. There was no immediate word on any casualties, nor on the cause of the fire.

An SII representative did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment. 


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