Serum Institute files Rs 100 cr suit after man says vaccine left him sick

After a Chennai-based volunteer served a legal notice to the Serum Institute of India (SII) demanding Rs 5 crore compensation for the alleged neurological complications he developed after being administered a test dose of its Covidshield vaccine, the Pune-based pharma giant has now countered the allegation with a demand of Rs 100 crore as damages to its reputation while terming his claims “malicious and misconceived in nature”.

“There is absolutely no correlation with the vaccine trial and the medical condition of the volunteer,” the SII said, adding: “The allegations in the notice are malicious and misconceived. While the Serum Institute of India is sympathetic with the volunteer’s medical condition, there is absolutely no correlation with the vaccine trial and the medical condition of the volunteer. The volunteer is falsely laying the blame for his medical problems on the Covid vaccine trial.”

It further said that the medical team informed the volunteer that the complications were unrelated to the test dose administered to him. “The claim is malicious because the volunteer was specifically informed by the medical team that the

complications he suffered were independent of the vaccine trial he underwent. In spite of specifically being made aware of the same, he still chose to go public and malign the reputation of the company,” the pharma giant stated.

“It is evident that the intention behind the spreading of such malicious information is an oblique pecuniary motive. The Serum Institute of India will seek damages in excess of 100 crore for the same and will defend such malicious claims,” the SII warned.

Earlier a 40-year-old Chennai man, who was a volunteer for the third phase of the Covid vaccine trial conducted by the Serum Institute, claimed Rs 5 crore as compensation for “a serious adverse event after being administered the under-trial vaccine”. He was administered the dose at Chennai’s Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) on 1 October.

According to his legal notice, which was filed 21 November, ten days later he began experiencing “severe headaches”, “total behavioural change” and “irritation towards light and sound”. Subsequently, the notice claims, he could not recognise or speak to anyone.

On 26 October he was discharged from hospital after suffering from “Acute Encephalopathy” that, the notice claims, was “an extreme side effect of the test vaccine”.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and an ethics committee at the Sri Ramachandra Institute will investigate the man’s claim, a report by news agency PTI said.

At the volunteer’s request, a law firm sent notices to the Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the DGCI and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation on November 21. Legal notices were also sent to the CEO of Astra Zeneca UK, Professor Andrew Pollard, Chief Investigator, Oxford Vaccine Trial and Vice-Chancellor of Sri Ramachandra Higher Education and Research.

“He further states that he is still far from being all right and has to be under medical care for a long time to come. Therefore, for all the trauma he is undergoing and with an uncertain future in his health, he should be given a financial compensation of Rs 5 crore within two weeks from the receipt of this notice,” the notice read.

WITH AGENCY INPUTS