Adar Poonawalla leaves India after threats & moves to UK, says ‘my head would be chopped off’
This comes days after Home Ministry provided him Y-category security. He claimed that top authorities and CMs of states have been threatening him because he makes vaccines for the country.
Serum Insitute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla has moved to London with his family (wife & children) because of threatening phone calls from country’s “most powerful” people, including chief ministers, business leaders and others for instant supplies of COVID-19 vaccine Covishield.
In an interview to a London newspaper, Adar, head of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer complained of being “vilified and blamed”, and hinted at starting a new vaccine production unit in the United Kingdom.
“‘Threats’ is an understatement” to describe what he faced from people demanding “instant supplies” of the vaccine, Poonawalla told The Times in an interview.
“I’m staying here an extended time because I don’t want to go back to that situation…Everything falls on my shoulders but I can’t do it alone…I don’t want to be in a situation where you are just trying to do your job, and just because you can’t supply the needs of X, Y or Z you really don’t want to guess what they are going to do…”
These alleged threats likely come from the fact that India is yet to vaccinate a large majority of its population, and vaccines are in short supply. SII’s Covishield is the more common vaccine in the country, and Poonawalla has had to balance international contracts and domestic commitments in the past two months.
“It’s not foul language. It’s the tone. It’s the implication of what they might do if I don’t comply. It’s taking control. It’s coming over and basically surrounding the place and not letting us do anything unless we give in to their demands,” he told The Times.
“The level of expectation and aggression is really unprecedented. It’s overwhelming. Everyone feels they should get the vaccine. They can’t understand why anyone else should get it before them,” Poonawalla said.
Asked who must carry the blame for the situation India finds itself in, Poonawalla said: “If I give you the right answer, or any answer, my head would be chopped off… I can’t comment on the elections or Kumbh Mela. It’s too sensitive… I don’t think even God could have forecast it was going to get this bad.”
Last week, SII announced a cut in the price of the jab it plans to sell to states to Rs 300 per dose from the earlier Rs 400.
The price cut came after widespread criticism of its pricing policy as it had sold the initial doses of Covishield to the central government at Rs 150 per dose.
India’s central government had granted Poonawalla “Y” level security on April 29, which meant that two personal CRPF commandos would accompany him at all times, and an armed guard would keep a vigil at his home.
Earlier this month, as per his request, the Indian government had also given a “stressed” Poonawalla an advanced loan of Rs3,000 crore ($400 million) to ramp up production.
He has said he will be back in India soon to check the work in Pune that is being done in ‘full swing’ but didn’t provide any date.
