Pune, December 1: Serum Institue of India (SII), which is manufacturing Covishield, a vaccine against coronavirus, on Tuesday said the incident related to a volunteer in Chennai was "no way induced" by the vaccine. Asserting that COVID-19 vaccine Covishield is safe, the SII said it sent a legal notice to the volunteer "to safeguard the reputation of the company". The vaccine is developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. PM Narendra Modi Visits Serum Institute of India, Reviews COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturing Facility.

"Covishield is safe and immunogenic. The incident with the Chennai volunteer no way induced by the vaccine. All regulatory and ethical processes and guidelines were followed. Principal Investigator, DSMB and Ethics Committee stated it was a non-related issue to the vaccine trial," the SII said. The volunteer demanded Rs 5 crore compensation. What is Emergency Use Authorisation Which Moderna, Pfizer Are Seeking For Their COVID-19 Vaccines?.

He alleged he developed neurological complications after being administered a test dose of its Covidshield vaccine. The SII had countered the allegation with a demand of Rs 100 crore as damages to its reputation while terming his claims "malicious and misconceived in nature". The volunteer's lawyers said the company was intimidating their client with a threat of over Rs 100 crore damage suit.

"The legal notice was sent to safeguard the reputation of the company which is being unfairly maligned," the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, said today. The 40-year-old volunteer, who works as a business consultant, had, in the legal notice, stated that he "must be compensated, in the least, for all the sufferings that he and his family have undergone and are likely to undergo in future".

According to the notice, the participant has been diagnosed with acute neuro encephalopathy, which has allegedly been linked as a side-effect of the Covishield shots that he took on October 1. Along with the SII, the notice was served to other avenues involved in the development and production of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 01, 2020 01:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).