Fact Check: Calf serum used to make Bharat Biotech's Covaxin? Centre issues clarification

The Government of India on Wednesday issued a clarification on reports claiming that serum from newborn calves was being used for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. In an official statement, the government said that facts had been 'twisted and misrepresented' revealing that newborn calf serum was only used for preparation/ growth of Vero cells for Covaxin as was used by several other vaccines for Polio, Rabies, and Influenza for decades. 

Centre refutes fake reports

"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 lives which help in production of vaccines. This technique has been used for decades in Polio, Rabies, and Influenza vaccines," said the Centre. 

"These vero cells, after the growth, are washed with water, with chemicals (also technically known as buffer), many times to make it free from the newborn calf serum. Thereafter, these vero cells are infected with corona virus for viral growth. The vero cells are completely destroyed in the process of viral growth. Thereafter this grown virus is also killed (inactivated) and purified. This killed virus is then used to make the final vaccine, and in the final vaccine formulation no calf serum is used," the satatement said.

"Hence, the final vaccine (COVAXIN) does not contain newborn calf serum at all and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product," the government added.

Earlier this week, Congress party's Gaurav Pandhi had claimed that the Union Government had admitted to using newborn calf serum for BB's Covaxin, alleging that young calves were being slaughtered for the COVID-19 vaccine. Citing an RTI reply  to applicant Vikas Patni, the Congress leader shared Bharat Biotech's response to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in which it stated that newborn calf serum is used in the vaccine making process.

However, the technique of using calf serum in the revival process of Vero cells has been under use for decades by all viral vaccine makers as a standard practice. The final product of the Covaxin dose does not contain newborn calf serum at all and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product, the government has clarified.