Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance on Thursday asserted that COVID-19 vaccines have been well-documented and rigorously tested according to regulatory standards, playing a crucial role in combating the pandemic.
Without naming Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who linked COVID-19 vaccines with a spate of heart attack deaths in the state's Hassan district, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) said, "Misinformation and distortion of facts endanger public health and undermine the trust built on science and patient care globally".
"During the COVID pandemic, vaccines played a crucial role, and India consistently supplied medicines and vaccines across the world. These vaccines have been well documented and rigorously tested as per regulatory processes," IPA Secretary General Sudarshan Jain said in a statement.
Jain asserted that the Indian pharmaceutical industry is a knowledge-driven sector and plays a vital role in global health.
"India accounts for 60 per cent of global vaccine production," he noted.
IPA's statement comes in the wake of Siddaramaiah suggesting that the recent heart attack deaths in Hassan district may be linked to the vaccination drive. He had also claimed the vaccines were 'hastily' approved.
Earlier in the day, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw had also opposed Siddaramaiah's remarks, saying such claims are "factually incorrect" and "misleading".
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