New Delhi: Hours after the promising results of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine were released, the executive director of the Serum Institute Of India said Monday that the company can supply up to 400 million doses of the vaccine by July 2021.
Adar Poonawalla told a trade news channel that the company is aiming for India’s approval by the end of the year.
AstraZeneca said Monday that an interim analysis of clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine in the UK and Brazil showed it was 70 percent effective on average, becoming the third drugmaker to announce promising results to contain the deadly virus .
The vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, showed 90 percent efficacy on one dosing regimen when the vaccine was given as a half dose, followed by a full dose at least one month later, and another dosing regimen showed 62 percent effective when given in two full doses at least one month apart, AstraZeneca said in a statement.
“Combined analysis of both dosing regimens resulted in an average efficacy of 70 percent,” he added.
Poonawalla said the limited use of the vaccine in India should be available anytime between late December and early January.
The vaccine will have a maximum retail price of ₹1,000 for the private market, Poonawalla said. He added that the company is in talks with the Indian government about the agreement to purchase the vaccine.
He said that Serum wants to distribute the vaccine to India first before expanding to supply the rest of the world.
“Public acceptability is the only challenge for vaccine distribution,” Poonawalla added.
Earlier Monday, he said he’s delighted to learn that Covishield will offer protection up to 90% in one dosage regimen and 62% in another.
“Delighted to hear that, Covishield, soon to be widely available as a COVID-19 vaccine, will offer protection up to 90 percent in one dosage regimen and 62 percent in another,” Poonawalla said.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is being manufactured in association with the Serum Institute.
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