US defends restrictions on export of COVID-19 vaccine raw materials to India, says requirements of Americans first

A senior US State Department official has said that the Biden administration's first obligation is to take care of the requirements of the American people. This statement comes at a time when the United States has restricted the export of key raw materials for the manufacture of the COVID-19 vaccines.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, "The United States first and foremost is engaged in an ambitious and effective and, so far, successful effort to vaccinate the American people."

"That campaign is well underway, and we’re doing that for a couple of reasons. Number one, we have a special responsibility to the American people. Number two, the American people, this country has been hit harder than any other country around the world more than 550,000 deaths, tens of millions of infections in this country alone," he said on Thursday.

The Biden administration recently conveyed to New Delhi that it understands India's pharmaceutical requirements and promised to give the matter due consideration.

It observed that the current difficulty in the export of critical raw materials needed to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines is mainly due to an Act that forces American companies to prioritise domestic consumption.

The US has ramped up the production of COVID-19 vaccines mostly by Pfizer and Moderna to meet the goal of vaccinating its entire population by July 4.

The suppliers of its raw materials, which is in high demand globally and sought after by major Indian manufacturers, are being forced to provide it only for domestic manufacturers in the US.

In recent weeks, India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been taking up the matter with the Biden administration officials.