New Delhi (AP) – India on Sunday authorized two COVID-19 vaccines, paving the way for a massive inoculation program to prevent coronavirus epidemics in the world’s second most populous country.
The Indian drug regulator has given emergency powers to vaccines developed by Oxford University and UK-based drug manufacturer AstraZeneca, and others developed by the Indian company Bharat Biotech.
Drugs Controller General Dr Venugopal G Somani said both the vaccines would be given in two doses.
Somani said the decision to approve the vaccines was taken after a “careful investigation” by India’s pharmaceutical regulator, the Central Drugs Standards Control Organization.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the vaccine approval a “turning point in strengthening the vigorous fight”.
Modi tweeted, “Congratulations India.”
The country’s initial immunization plan aims to vaccinate 300 million people by 2021 – front-line staff including health care workers, police and those considered vulnerable to age or other diseases. For effective distribution, more than 20,000 health workers have been trained, the health ministry said, adding that the vaccine has yet to be administered.
But this will be a challenge for India. Despite being one of the largest immunization programs, it is not around adults and vaccine coverage is not bad. Neither vaccine requires ultra-cold storage facilities. Instead they can be stored in the refrigerator, making them more feasible for the country.
Although the world’s largest vaccine maker does not have a written agreement with the Indian government, its chief executive Adar Poonawala said in a virtual briefing on Monday that India would be ‘given priority’ and would get most of its stock worth around Rs 1 million crore. Dosage.
The Serum Institute India has been contracted by AstraZeneca to create one billion doses for developing countries, including India. On Wednesday, Britain became the first to allow the shot.
Part of the Oxford-AstraZeneca study in about 24,000 people in Britain, Brazil and South Africa. The results indicate that the vaccine is safe and about 70% effective. This is not as good as some other vaccine candidates, and there is also concern about how well the vaccine will protect older people.
The researchers also claimed that the vaccine protected against the virus in 62% of people who were given two doses and in 90% of people who were given half the dose due to a manufacturing error. But the latter group includes only 2,741 people, too small to be decisive.
Another vaccine, called covexin, has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with government agencies and is based on an inactive form of coronavirus. The company has completed only two of the three trial phases. The third, which tests for effectiveness, began in mid-November.
Preliminary clinical studies have shown that the vaccine has no serious side effects and produces antibodies to COVID-19. A second shot will be given 28 days after the first, and two weeks after the immune response was asked, it is not clear whether the company has provided data on the effectiveness of the vaccine.
“The vaccine has been found to be safe,” Somani said.
“In the clinical trial mode, especially in the case of infections by mutant strains, the use of Bharat Biotech has been allowed for restricted use in the public interest,” the health ministry said in a statement.
Dr Gagandeep Kang, of the Christian Medical College Lodge in Vellore, said the idea that the vaccine could help against a mutable type of virus was “speculative”.
About 1. India, with a population of billions, is the second most affected by the coronavirus, followed by the US. Then, 10. With more than a million confirmed cases and 199,435 deaths, the infection rate dropped significantly in mid-September.
Indian regulators are still considering approving other vaccines, including one made by Pfizer.
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The Associated Press The Department of Health and Science is supported by the Department of Science Education at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. AP is fully responsible for all content.
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