Covishield is set to “roll out in the next few weeks,” Adar Poonawalla said. (File photo)
New Delhi:
All the risks taken by the Serum Institute have finally paid off, tweeted Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Pune-based vaccine manufacturer, shortly after the country’s drug regulator authorized its Covishield vaccine for emergency approval in India. Mr Poonawalla reiterated that the Covishield vaccine, developed by the Serum Institute of India in partnership with the University of Oxford and leading pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, is “safe and effective” against coronavirus, adding that the vaccine “is ready to be implemented in next weeks”. .
Mr. Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute, which is said to be the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, had previously said that “most of the first 50 million doses will go to India.”
Happy New Year to all! All risks @SerumInstIndia took with the storage of the vaccine, it has finally paid off. COVISHIELD, India’s first COVID-19 vaccine is approved, safe, effective and ready to roll out in the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/TcKh4bZIKK
– Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 3, 2021
Apart from Covishield, Covaxin from Bharat Biotech has received permission for “restricted use”. Restricted-use approval is normally granted if there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the drug is safe and effective.
“We will never approve anything if there is the slightest safety issue. The vaccines are 110 percent safe. Some side effects such as mild fever, pain and allergy are common to all vaccines,” said Indian Comptroller General of Drugs VG Somani by granting permission to vaccine manufacturers for “restricted use.”
Covishield was found to be 70.42% effective and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin was “safe and provides a robust immune response,” he said.
Minutes later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted to say that all Indians would be proud that the two were “made in India.” “All Indians would be proud that the two vaccines that have received emergency use approval are manufactured in India! This shows the enthusiasm of our scientific community to fulfill the dream of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, whose root is caring and compassion, “the Prime Minister tweeted.
A decisive turning point to strengthen an energetic fight!
DCGI grants approval to vaccines of @SerumInstIndia and @BharatBiotech accelerates the path to a healthier and COVID-free nation.
Congratulations India.
Congratulations to our scientists and innovative workers.
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 3, 2021
Covishield from the Serum Institute of India was the first vaccine recommended for “restricted use” by the government-appointed panel on Friday. Covaxin, the coronavirus vaccine from Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, was recommended a day later, on Saturday.
A third vaccine, developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, had also applied for emergency authorization for fuses and is currently under review by the panel. Sources, however, have said that the company has yet to present its data to the panel.
The Pfizer vaccine has already been implemented in the United Kingdom, the United States, and some other countries.
India is the second most infected country in the world with more than 1.03 million cases and nearly 150,000 deaths, although its infection rate has dropped significantly from a mid-September peak of more than 90,000 daily cases.
The approval is expected to kick off one of the world’s largest vaccination campaigns in the coming days.
A one-day test of the vaccine delivery system was conducted on Saturday to check for potential problems once the vaccine is available. The Health Ministry said drills were carried out in 116 districts, and nearly one lakh of staff received the necessary training.
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