Serum Institute eyes approval for XBB1 variant vaccine to tackle COVID-19 JN.1 strain

Kerala had 1144 active cases as on 22 December 5 am.

Indian vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute is gearing up to apply for licensing a vaccine that could tackle the new JN.1 variant, the company told Moneycontrol.

“We are currently offering a XBB1 variant vaccine which is very similar to the JN1 variant in the US and Europe. In the coming months, we are aiming to obtain licensure for this vaccine in India. We plan to submit the necessary documentation to the regulators, with the goal of making it available to the public," said a SII spokesperson to Moneycontrol.

India reported 1,394 active cases of Covid-19 as on December 22, 5 am, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The cases were concentrated in the southern state of Kerala where the new virulent variant JN. 1 was detected earlier this week. The state recorded 1,144 active cases as of December 22, 5 am.

Odisha has 53 active cases and Karnataka has 50 cases as per the report.

Also read: Live Covid 19 tracker

In Maharashtra, which has 19 active cases, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held a meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in the state given the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in some parts of the country on December 21.

The state is fully prepared to tackle the situation and people must not panic but should take precautions, especially due to the upcoming festival and new year season, Shinde reassured.

A release by the Thane district information office said that Maharashtra has 63,000 isolation beds to tackle the ailment.

Serum Institute had earlier manufactured the Covishield Vaccine sold in India. On 1 January 2021, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved emergency use of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine (local trade name "Covishield"). This product is approved in 49 countries.

It is a recombinant, replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus vector encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) glycoprotein. Following administration, the genetic material of part of the coronavirus is expressed which stimulates an immune response.

The company also manufactures Covovax under license from US-based vaccine maker Novavax Inc.

Serum Institute was incorporated in 1966 as a partnership firm promoted by the Poonawalla group headed by Dr Cyrus S Poonawalla to manufacture life-saving vaccines. It was reconstituted as a public limited company in May 1984 and as a private limited company in October 2015.