Serum Institute nears $400M grant to boost AstraZeneca COVID shot production—just as material shortages mount

A “very stressed” Serum Institute of India recently called on its government for tens of billions of rupees to boost production of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. It now seems that help is on the way.

India is set to accept Serum Institute’s 30 billion rupee ($400 million) grant request, The Economic Times reports, citing a government source close to the talks. With that cash in hand, the world's biggest vaccine maker will aim to produce more than 100 million doses of the shot per month by the end of May, up from around 70 million doses per month, the publication reports.