New Delhi: The drugs regulator’s subject expert panel has okayed for emergency use a covid vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, paving the way for covishield’s imminent nod for across India.
The moves paves the way for the rollout of the vaccine in India which has the most number of COVID-19 cases after the US.
India may start vaccinations by Wednesday, Reuters reported citing the people.
A member of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), whose experts met for the second time in the week, declined to comment.
Argentina and the UK have approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for urgent use.
CDSCO is reviewing emergency-use permit for Pfizer and German BioNTech’s vaccine, and Indian Bharat Biotech’s shot.
The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is cheaper and easier to supply than others, which could be a global game-changer.
Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest producer of vaccines, already has about 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca shot called Covishield ready.
The government has not signed a vaccine purchase deal with SII yet, but the firm will focus on the home market first.
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