Bharat Biotech ‘inadvertently missed’ including ICMR, NIV as co-developers in Covaxin patent: Centre

Bharat Biotech “inadvertently missed” including the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology as co-inventors of the Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, in the patent application, Union health minister JP Nadda told the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Nadda was responding to Trinamool Congress MP Sougata Roy, who had asked whether the Centre took any punitive action against Bharat Biotech for not mentioning the names of the two co-developers in the patent application.

The Union minister said that there had been a joint Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian Council of Medical Research, the National Institute of Virology and Bharat Biotech for the development of Covaxin.

Bharat Biotech’s initial patent application only included its name in the application. However, as soon as the government came to know about it, the company was questioned, Nadda said.

The application was corrected after objections were raised, the minister added. The company has now filed a correction in the Patent Office.

“Now ICMR, National Institute of Virology, along with three scientists are co-owners and co-inventors of Covaxin,” Nadda said.

Nadda also said that the Indian Council of Medical Research has received Rs 172 crore as royalty from Bharat Biotech International Limited for jointly developing Covaxin.

Bharat Biotech had spent around Rs 60 crore for the development of the vaccine,...

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