Newborn Calf Serum is Used Only for Preparing Covaxin

Newborn calf serum is used only for the preparation and growth of vero cells of Covaxin, and this technique has been used for decades in preparing vaccines of Polio, Rabies, and Influenza vaccines, the Indian Health Ministry clarified. "There have been some social media posts regarding composition of the Covaxin vaccine where it has been suggested that Covaxin vaccine contains the newborn calf serum. Facts have been twisted and misrepresented in these posts," the Union Health Ministry said.

"Different kinds of bovine and other animal serum are standard enrichment ingredient used globally for vero cell growth. Vero cells are used to establish cell lives which help in production of vaccines," it added.

Vero cells are washed with water and chemicals, also known as buffer, several times to make it free from the newborn calf serum. "Thereafter, these vero cells are infected with corona virus for viral growth,’ it said.

"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. 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 ministry said.

Source-Medindia