Covaxin to be available in the first quarter of next year, says Bharat Biotech

Covaxin, a vaccine for COVID-19, will be available in the first quarter of next year, said Suchitra Ella, joint managing director of Bharat Biotech on Wednesday.

Covaxin, a vaccine for COVID-19, will be available in the first quarter of next year, said Suchitra Ella, joint managing director of Bharat Biotech on Wednesday. "With safety and efficacy data, Covaxin will be available in the first quarter of next year to the categories and the first responders according to the plan that govt of India is embarking upon for phased vaccination," Ella told ANI.

A team of foreign heads of missions in India had visited leading biotech companies in Hyderabad involved in COVID-19 vaccine development. The Indian arm of US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech have applied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking emergency use authorisation (EUA) for their COVID-19 vaccines.

Meanwhile, Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has asked for more safety and efficacy data from Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech for their COVID-19 vaccines. According to government sources, an SEC meeting was held on Wednesday to review the application submitted by the pharma majors for emergency use authorisation (EUA) for their vaccine candidates.

The application submitted by the Pfizer was not discussed at the SEC meeting as the company has requested for more time for giving its presentation, sources said. (ANI)