NEW DELHI: Serum Institute of India (SII) hopes to launch a COVID-19 vaccine for children, Novavax, in six months, CEO Adar Poonawalla said, Reuters reported.
Adar Poonawalla told an industry conference that the vaccine, called SII Covovax, has shown good results in trials in children aged three years and above.
An expert panel of the Central Drugs Authority of India, which recently reviewed the Serum Institute’s application seeking emergency authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine Covovax, has sought additional data from the firm, while the jab is yet to be administered in the country of origin. has not been approved, PTI had reported
The Pune-based firm has collected interim safety and immunogenicity data from Phase 2/3 bridging clinical trials conducted in the country as well as interim clinical trial data of safety and efficacy from Phase 3 clinical trials conducted in the UK and US. was presented to. application.
Official sources had said that the government had recently allowed export of 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine Kovovax produced in India by SII, as the jab is yet to be approved for emergency use in the country. Has been.
On May 17, the DCGI office had given permission to SII to manufacture and stock Kovovax. Based on DCGI’s approval, the Pune-based firm has so far manufactured and stocked the vaccine doses, he said.
In August 2020, US-based vaccine maker Novavax, Inc. had announced a license agreement with SII to develop and commercialize NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in low- and middle-income countries and India.
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