CM's remarks on Covid vaccine 'factually incorrect': Biocon chief

Bengaluru, NT Correspondent: Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Thursday opposed Karnataka Chief Min ister Siddaramaiah's remarks linking Covid-19 vac cines with a spate of heart at tack deaths in the state's Hassan district, say ing such claims are "'factually incorrect" and "misleading". Siddaramaiah has suggested that the recent heart attack deaths in Hassan dis trict may be linked to the vaccination drive.

He had also claimed the vaccines were 'hastily' approved. In a social media post, Shaw said "Covid-19 vaccines developed in India were approved un der the Emergency Use Authorisation framework, fol lowing rigorous protocols aligned with global stan dards for safety and efficacy. To suggest that these vaccines were 'hastily' ap proved is factually incorrect and con tributes to public misinforma tion."

"These vac cines have saved mil lions of lives and, like all vaccines, may cause side effects in a very small number of individuals. It is important to acknowledge the science and data-driven pro cesses behind their development, rather than engage in retro spective blame," Shaw, Execu tive Chairperson of the pharma company, said.

The Chief Minister had said on Tuesday that over 20 people had died of heart attack in Hassan district in the past month alone, and that the state government was taking the matter seriously. He announced the forma tion of an expert committee led by Dr Ravindranath, Director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovas cular Sciences and Research, to investigate the deaths.

The com mittee has been instructed to submit its report within ten days. The CM said a similar direc tive had been issued in February to study sudden deaths among young people across the state and whether covid-19 vaccines could have had any adverse ef fects "It cannot be denied that the hasty approval and distribu tion of the Covid vaccine to the public could also be a reason for these deaths, as several studies worldwide have recently indi cated that Covid vaccines could be a cause for the increasing number of heart attacks," Sidda ramaiah had said.

On Wednesday, the Union Health Ministry had dismissed the CM's statement, saying ex tensive studies by ICMR and AIIMS have conclusively established no linkages between coronavi rus vaccines and sudden deaths. Studies by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) affirm that Covid-19 vaccines in India are safe and effective, with extremely rare in stances of serious side effects, it said.

Sudden cardiac deaths can result from a wide range of fac tors, including genetics, life style, pre-existing conditions, and post-Covid complica tions, the ministry had said in a statement.