How an Indian horse racing dynasty became pivotal in the race to vaccinate the world

From his baronial boardroom in Pune, Adar Poonawalla can search out upon the properly manicured turf of India’s biggest stud farm. Around the several years, the family’s racehorses have gained the Indian Derby ten instances. These days, having said that, the thoroughbreds gambolling throughout the paddock beneath his window may perhaps be the previous point on his thoughts.

As the earth gears up for a race to vaccinate billions of folks towards Covid-19, the 40-calendar year-previous scion of India’s Poonawalla pharmaceuticals dynasty has emerged as a essential participant. As chief govt of Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by quantity, Poonawalla’s manufacturing unit 70 miles exterior Mumbai has been functioning at comprehensive tilt, scrambling to produce 50m doses for each thirty day period of the AstraZeneca/University of Oxford vaccine which it is hoped will aid carry the killer virus underneath regulate.

Signals of the pressures experiencing the enterprise drew into focus on Thursday when a fire broke out at the site in a developing that was underneath design, reportedly resulting in five deaths. “We are deeply saddened and give our deepest condolences to the loved ones members of the departed,” Poonawalla said in a tweet.

Though the cause of the blaze remains uncertain and manufacturing was unaffected, the tragedy has fuelled the escalating perception that SII is at the centre of an unfolding worldwide drama.

Even ahead of the fire, the strains were being evident. Poonawalla claims: “Everyone has labored tirelessly for months on end… The genuine problem now is rolling it out to all the countries all over the world but also balancing our commitments domestically and comprehension what my governing administration [India] desires us to do. It is a fine balance.”