As India battles the second, deadly, wave of the Coronavirus which has caused havoc across the country and stretched its healthcare system to the limit, companies in the sector have come to the fore, literally as lifesavers, working tirelessly to ensure the attack of the virus is countered with every measure at their disposal. Fighting this battle to save lives are several Family-Owned Businesses across the health-care industry. If the Reddys of Apollo Hospitals are ensuring patients get care in their facilities, vaccine makers like the Poonawallas of Serum Institute of India (SII) and the Ellas of Bharat Biotech are at the forefront as India rolls out its liberalised vaccination policy from May 1. Equally important are companies like diagnostics chain Metropolis Healthcare and the Godrej Group, which is supporting the vaccination effort with its smart refrigeration systems. There are more examples: Cadila, Cipla, Dr. Reddy’s, Wockhardt… the list is long.

  In our cover story this month, we take a close look at how Bharat Biotech, run by Krishna Ella and his wife Suchitra, developed its home-grown vaccine Covaxin—jointly with the Indian Council of Medical Research—in double quick time and, despite challenges, managed to fight shoulder to shoulder with SII in aiming to inoculate India’s massive population.