Amid Omicron Fear, Expert Committee Gives No Recommendations For COVID Booster Dose: Report

The SEC, which reviewed the Serum Institute of India’s (SII) application for the booster dose in a meeting earlier on Friday, has sought additional data before another meeting.

The Serum Institute of India (SII) had earlier sought approval from the country’s drug regulator Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for Covishield as a booster dose (File)

New Delhi: Amid fear of the new coronavirus variant Omicron, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has said the Covid-19 booster doses cannot be recommended without clinical trials.

ANI reported sources as saying that the SEC has made no recommendations for the Covid-19 booster dose.

The SEC, which reviewed the Serum Institute of India’s (SII) application for the booster dose in a meeting earlier on Friday, has sought additional data before another meeting.

In view of the rising demand for booster shots, the SII had earlier sought approval to administer the booster dose of its Covishield vaccine on the basis of the jab’s adequate stock.

SII Director (Government and Regulatory Affairs) Prakash Kumar Singh had then cited that the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has already approved the booster dose of AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine.

“The people of our country as well as citizens of other countries who have already been fully vaccinated with two doses of Covishield are also continuously requesting our firm for booster dose,” he stated in an application submitted before the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI), ANI reported.

The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) had earlier conducted a virtual meeting regarding additional doses of coronavirus vaccines in the country.

The meeting, though, resulted in no consensus on the issue.

The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) has also said in a clarification statement that they have never recommended a booster dose.

This comes as several experts in the country have recommended a booster dose, especially after emergence of the Omicron variant.

The Central government has not taken any decision on the booster dose so far.

Earlier on Friday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had said that a decision on the booster dose would be taken once experts give their opinion.