Updated: December 3, 2020 7:00:03 am
In order for the vaccine to be considered for use here, Pfizer’s Indian subsidiary will have to reach out to the regulator and share the data it has submitted to the UK regulator. (Photo: AP)
the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine it needs a cold chain requirement of minus 70 degrees Celsius and is not being tested in India. So it is not very high on New Delhi’s watch list, but its approval and deployment in the UK is of much more than academic interest.
In order for the vaccine to be considered for use here, Pfizer’s Indian subsidiary will have to reach out to the regulator and share the data it has submitted to the UK regulator. “Then they can ask for an approval and consequently the regulator will make a decision,” an official said. The Indian Express.
Senior officials overseeing India’s vaccine plan said Pfizer’s vaccine may not meet the country’s “immediate” internal requirements, as the company has prior delivery commitments to several countries. Still, the talks continue.
VK Paul, who chairs the National High Level Expert Group on Vaccine Administration, explained India’s strategy regarding candidates such as Pfizer and Moderna, who have shown positive Phase 3 results abroad but are not being testing here.
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“We know that the doses of this vaccine (Pfizer) will not be available in large quantities … If this vaccine candidate has to arrive, and if we need it, we are preparing … we have parallel plans,” Paul had said.
“If we have to set a strategy for this candidate vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna), we will move on. However, it is a confirmed fact that even if we receive (any dose), we will get it only after a few months, ”he said.
India’s current strategy, specifically considering its large-scale requirements, is based on planned supplies of five candidate vaccines currently in clinical trials here: Astrazeneca-Oxford, Zydus Cadilla, Biological E, Dr Reddy’s, and Bharat Biotech. .
“We have high expectations … that these five candidate vaccines will succeed. They are all easy platforms. And the availability of the doses (of the five candidate vaccines) is extremely high. They can control the pandemic, ”Paul had said.
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Wednesday’s decision by the UK regulator is also important for India on the technology front. Observing the global discourse surrounding the mRNA vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna, the Department of Biotechnology provided seed funding for Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd, the country’s first mRNA-based vaccine manufacturing facility.
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“An mRNA vaccine has never been used, but these vaccines are synthetic and easier to produce. Increasing capacity is much easier, ”said a source. “But more data and research will be crucial for approval.”
By the way, the prime minister on Monday had a detailed discussion with Gennova, which hopes to launch its own candidate mRNA-based vaccine for Covid by March 2021.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
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