Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine: Serum Institute chief says India could approve emergency use by December 2020

Serum Institute of India can supply around 100 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine per month, CEO Adar Poonawalla has said. By July 2021, India could have around up to 400 million doses of Covishield, he added.

Speaking to CNBC TV18, SII CEO said India could approve emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine by December 2020. Once cleared, the vaccine will be used to protect priority beneficiaries identified by the Centre, including frontline healthcare workers and elderly, he said.

Poonawalla's comments came shortly after AstraZeneca on November 23 said its vaccine could be up to 90% effective, giving the world's fight against the pandemic a new weapon, cheaper to make, easier to distribute and faster to scale up than rivals.

"SII is hoping the data released earlier, along with preliminary data from the ongoing trial of the vaccine in India, will allow it to seek emergency use authorisation for the vaccine by year-end, before gaining approval for a full rollout by February or March next year," said Poonawalla.

Read: Why AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID vaccine is best suited for India over Pfizer, Moderna shots

Speaking on the efficacy, he said, "There were zero hospitalisations in the group that was vaccinated and which means that the vaccine is very effective."

Poonawalla also said the Oxford vaccine is affordable, safe and stored at a temperature of two to eight degrees Celsius, which is an ideal temperature for it to be stored in the cold storages of India.

Read: Serum Institute to focus on supplying coronavirus drug to India first

He said the vaccine in the Indian private market would be priced at 1,000 rupees per dose ($13.50), but that governments signing large supply deals would likely buy it at lower prices.

The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine maker by volume, has partnered with AstraZeneca, the Gates Foundation and the Gavi Alliance to produce more than a billion doses of the vaccine for global supply. 40 million of those doses are already manufactured and the distribution will begin once regulatory approval comes in.

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Five vaccines are under different phases of clinical trials in India. The Serum Institute of India is conducting the phase-three trial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, while Bharat Biotech and ICMR have already started the phase-three trial of the indigenously developed COVAXIN jab.

An indigenously developed vaccine by Zydus Cadila has completed the phase-two clinical trial in the country. Dr Reddy's Laboratories will soon start combining phase two and three trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in India.

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