Padma Bhushan Conferred on Bharat Biotech's Krishna Murthy, Suchitra Ella | Know All About Covaxin Makers

Covaxin makers Krishna Murthy Ella and Suchitra Krishna Ella of Bharat Biotech were among 74 distinguished personalities who were conferred the Padma awards on Monday. President Ram Nath Kovind honoured them with the Padma Bhushan at a civil investiture ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Both Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India have led the country towards becoming self-sufficient in Covid-19 vaccine production, but the pharmaceutical firm owned by the Ellas has the distinguished achievement of creating Covaxin, India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine. Covishield, meanwhile, is the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine. Not only this, the vaccine makers have made the essential jabs available at the lowest possible price in the world.

Born into a Telugu-speaking agriculturist family from Tamil Nadu in 1969, Dr Krishna Ella started off his career by joining the pharmaceutical and life sciences company Bayer as part of its agricultural division. Later, he left for the United States to pursue higher studies and returned to set up a small lab in Hyderabad in 1996, naming it Bharat Biotech.

At present, he is the chairperson and managing director of Bharat Biotech International Limited. A research scientist in molecular biology, Dr Krishna Ella strongly believes that innovative technology in vaccine development is essential to solve public healthcare problems caused by infectious diseases.

Under his leadership, Bharat Biotech has grown to become a global leader in innovative vaccine. A serial entrepreneur with a passion for innovative ideas, he has also ventured into veterinary vaccines, food processing, and developing biotechnology infrastructure in the country, as per Bharat Biotech’s official website.

He has received many awards, including the ET Now Special Recognition for Healthcare Industry Award, JRD Tata – Best Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Marico Innovation Award and University of Southern California – Asia-Pacific Leadership Award.

Not only the first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, Ella’s company is also the first to manufacture a preservative-free vaccine (Revac-B mcf hepatitis B vaccine), and launch India’s first cell-cultured swine flu vaccine. The firm also manufactures the world’s cheapest hepatitis vaccines and is the first in the world to find a vaccine for Zika virus.

His wife and the joint managing director of Bharat Biotech, Suchitra Ella is a strong pillar of support and guidance at the pharmaceutical firm. She oversees a wide range of operations in the company and has vast experience in customer operations, finance, marketing and business development related work.

Several awards have been conferred on Suchitra, including the South Indian Business Achievers Award 2016, Zee TV Best Women Entrepreneur Award, SAARC Women Entrepreneur Award among others.

While the couple may be successful entrepreneurs, Dr Krishna Ella’s true passion is still science and he believes that being a vaccine maker is more challenging.

“I am still a scientist… Science is my passion,” Dr Ella once said during an interview.

Received by a total of 17 personalities this year, the Padma Bhushan is conferred for distinguished service of high order. It is the third-highest civilian award in the country.

The Padma awards were given to 128 personalities this year, of which 54 received their awards at the first civil investiture ceremony on March 21. The likes of late BJP leader Kalyan Singh and actor Victor Banerjee were also among recipients of the Padma awards at the second ceremony.

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