Malvern: Biotechnology company Ocugen and Bharat Biotech (BBIL), on Monday, announced that they have entered into an amendment to their Co-development, Supply and Commercialization Agreement to expand Ocugen's exclusive territory to include commercialization of COVAXIN in Mexico.

This gives Ocugen COVAXIN commercialization rights for all of North America, the company said in a press statement.

"We're excited to commercialize COVAXIN in Mexico, as authorities there have made conquering this pandemic a major priority. After meeting with Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, in Delhi, we are encouraged by the role COVAXIN can play in Mexico's continuing efforts to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. COVAXIN is currently under review by COFEPRIS (Comision Federal para la Proteccion contra Riesgos Sanitarios) for emergency use among children between 2 and 18 years of age, and Ocugen is prepared to collaborate with the public health community to help their efforts. We also thank Bharat Biotech for helping make this opportunity a reality," said Dr Shankar Musunuri, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Ocugen, Inc.

COVAXIN can be an ideal vaccination option for Mexico at this stage of the pandemic. As a whole virion, inactivated vaccine, it elicits robust cellular immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 and Variants of Concern. It offers logistical advantages that could support vaccine access in hard-to-reach communities.

"We are delighted to announce our partnership with Ocugen for Mexico, along with the United States and Canada. COVAXIN is a safe and efficacious inactivated vaccine for all age groups as evident from its data from global introduction. We are fully supportive of team Ocugen in our endeavour to expedite technology transfer activities towards commercial-scale manufacturing of COVAXIN in North America," said Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech.

The license extension between Ocugen and Bharat Biotech with respect to commercialization in Mexico includes the same profit share structure as in the United States.