Seram Institute of India (SII) has no right to halt vaccine supply after receiving payment in advance, Nazmul Hasan Papon, managing director of Beximco Pharmaceuticals, said today.

"The government has made advance payment for 1.5 crore jabs of vaccines (Oxford-AstraZeneca), but we have received 70 lakh jabs. Serum has not given us 80 lakh doses till now. The government should ask them (for vaccine) loud and clear," Papon said while talking to journalists at Kurmitola General Hospital.

Beximco is the sole distributor of SII Covid-19 vaccine "Covishield" in Bangladesh.

Papon said, "It, in no way, is acceptable that Serum will not give us vaccines after the government has made the advance payment. The government should clearly say that they have to supply vaccines. We have paid for 1.5 crore shots of vaccines. Serum has no right to stop supply."

Recently, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of SII, said they will not be able to export vaccines before June-July which made the global Covid-19 vaccine supply under COVAX uncertain.

The countrywide inoculation is also in serious setback after SII stopped supplying vaccines which the government has purchased.