As the COVID-19
The case count in India rose to more than 90 lakh on Thursday, the executive director and owner of the Pune-based Serum Institute of India, Adar Poonawalla, said the country could look forward to a vaccine against the novel coronavirus by the end of the year or the beginning of the next.
Speaking at the 2020 HT Leadership Summit, Poonawalla said that initial doses will be given to those most vulnerable to the disease, including front-line workers, health officials and the elderly, others will be vaccinated in March or April 2021. However, he said this would only be possible if everything goes according to plan and deadlines are not delayed due to unprecedented incidents.
“I never dreamed that we at the Serum Institute of India (SII) would have a good vaccine developed by the end of the year with all the regulatory approvals in place. If all goes according to plan, January to February 2021 is our deadline for the vaccine to be available to frontline workers and the general public in March, April next year. ” Hindustan Times he quoted him saying.
IBS has partnered with AstraZeneca to produce at least 1 billion doses of the vaccine.
“As soon as UK authorities, MHRA (Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency) and EMA (European Medicines Agency) approve it for emergency use, we will apply to DCGI (Controller General of Medicines of India)
and obtain authorization for emergency use in India, “he added.
Reiterating his previous stance, Poonawalla said that 50% of the vaccine produced by his company will be allocated for inoculation campaigns in India and that IBS will try to make the vaccine affordable for everyone at a starting price of 500 to 600 rupees.
He also noted that the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer aims to produce 100 million doses of AstraZeneca. COVID-19 fired for February 2021 and to speed up the process, they could add two more manufacturing facilities to current production capacity.
“It will probably take two or three years for all Indians to get vaccinated, not just because of supply limitations, but because you need the budget, the vaccine, the logistics, the infrastructure, and then people should be willing to receive the vaccine. vaccine. These are the factors that lead to being able to vaccinate 80% -90% of the population. It will be 2024 so that everyone, if they are willing to receive a two-dose vaccine, is vaccinated, “said Poonawalla.
When asked at what price the public will get it, Poonawala said it will cost between $ 5 and $ 6 per dose with an MRP of around Rs 1,000 for the two doses needed. “The government of India will get it at a much cheaper price of around $ 3 to $ 4 because it will buy in high volume and have access to a similar price as COVAX has. We are still pricing it much cheaper and more affordable. than other vaccines we have on the market today, “he said.
When asked about the efficacy of the vaccine, he said that the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine so far is proving to work very well even in older people, which was a concern before. “You have induced a good T-cell response, which is an indicator of your long-term immunity and your antibody response, but again, time will only tell if these vaccines will protect you in the long term. No one can answer that. for any of today’s vaccines, “Poonawalla said.
Responding to a question on the safety aspect, he said there have been no major complaints, reactions or adverse events, adding: “We would have to wait and see. The efficacy and immunogenicity results from the Indian trials will be released in about a year. month”. -and a half.”
The kids would have to wait a bit longer for the safety data to come out, but the good news is that COVID-19 it’s not that bad and serious for them, Poonawalla said. “Unlike measles pneumonia, which is deadly, this disease appears to be less bothersome for children, but then they can be carriers and transmit the infection to others. We want to vaccinate the elderly and other more vulnerable people. First. A Once we have enough safety data for children, we can recommend it to children as well, “he said.
Poonawalla said the Oxford vaccine is affordable, safe, and stored at a temperature of two to eight degrees Celsius, which is an ideal temperature for cold storage in India. He said that IBS plans to do around 10 crore doses per month starting in February. As for how many doses would be provided to India, Poonawalla said talks are still continuing and no agreement has been reached on the matter.
“India wants around 400 million doses by July. I don’t know if it will take all of the Serum Institute. We are preparing to offer that kind of volume to India and we still have about 100 million to offer COVAX in July and August. No deal until now, “he said. Poonawala said that the SII is not entering into any agreements with other countries at the moment as India is its priority.
“We have not signed or committed to anything other than Bangladesh at this time. We really do not want to partner with many countries at this time because we will not have enough stocks to deliver. We want to handle India as a priority first and manage Africa at the same time and then help. to other countries, “he said.
Poonawalla said that 30-40 crore doses of the Oxford vaccine will be available by the first quarter of 2021. In another summit session, AIIMS director Dr. Randeep Guleria said there are some talks between Pfizer and the Indian government, but not much with Moderna.
(With PTI inputs)
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