Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
01-01-2021
Bureau Report
NEW DELHI: India’s drug regulator has approved a coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University for emergency use, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters news agency.
Friday’s approval paves the way for its rollout in the world’s second worst affected country.
A representative of India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), whose experts are meeting for the second time this week and also considering two other vaccines, declined to comment.
Local media claimed that approval of the vaccine would be “very welcome news for several reasons”.
“Its news that is eagerly awaited not least because its is the second worst-affected country … in the world,” she said.
India has reported over 10 million cases to date with only the US with more. However, the South Asian nation’s rate of infection has come down significantly from a mid-September peak.
Britain and Argentina have already authorised the vaccine for urgent public use.
India is also considering emergency-use authorisation applications for vaccines made by Pfizer Inc with Germany’s BioNTech, and by India’s Bharat Biotech.
“Both AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech will get approval today,” one of the sources told Reuters earlier on Friday. “All preparations are on with today’s date in mind.”
The other sources were less certain about Bharat Biotech’s prospects, Reuters said.
“We are hopeful,” another source said about the vaccine developed with the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research. A CDSCO representative declined to comment.
The group met a day ahead of a nationwide trial run for vaccine delivery in the country with more than 10 million coronavirus infections.
More than 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have already been stockpiled by its local manufacturer, the Serum Institute of India (SII), and one of the sources said the shots could start to be transported from cold storage to Indian states as early as Saturday.
The SII said in an email it would “wait for the final approval to come” before commenting.
India’s government on Wednesday said Pfizer Inc had sought more time to present data for emergency authorisation of a vaccine it has developed with Germany’s BioNTech.
Indian health authorities expect to start a vaccination drive for some 300 million people early next month.
