Covid-19 Vaccination Drive In India May Begin From January 2021 Says SII CEO Adar Poonawalla

The CEO of Pune-based Serum Institute of India has said that the coronavirus vaccination drive in India could begin from January 2021.

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New Delhi: Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India has indicated that Covid-19 vaccination drive may begin from January 2021 after the pharma company receives the approval. According to media reports Poonawalla said during The Economic Times Global Business Summit, that while wider use license may take time if they get the nod, vaccination drive in India can begin from Jnauary. "We might get emergency license by this month-end, but licence for wider use might come at a later date. But, we are confident that if the regulators give a nod, India’s vaccination drive can start by January 2021,” said Poonawalla in a report by Hindustan Times. SII is developing the vaccine in collaboration with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine in India. The company On Monday informed that it had applied for approval for the emergency use of the Oxford university vaccine, Covishield. It was the first Indian company to do so. The pharma company has applied for authorisation to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) citing unmet medical needs due to the pandemic and in the interest of the public at large, said sources in a report by PTI. According to media reports, SII is likely to sign a supply contract with the central government, under which the price of the COVID-19 vaccine may be fixed at Rs 250 per dose and approximately 60 million could be made available soon. The company is likely to have around 100 million doses for the government by January-February (2021), if the Centre chooses to procure.