Govt Panel Recommends Approval For Corbevax Covid Vaccine For Kids Aged 5-11: Report

Biological E's Corbevax is currently being used to inoculate children against Covid-19 in the age group of 12 to 14 years.

A health worker administers a dose of Covid-19 vaccine to a child in the age group of 12-14 years, at Daryaganj, Delhi (Getty Images)

New Delhi: With Covid-19 cases rising in some parts of India, a government panel on Thursday recommended emergency approval for Biological E's Corbevax vaccine for children in the five to 11 years age group, PTI reported.

"The Subject Expert Committee on Covid-19 of the CDSCO which deliberated on Biological E's EUA application has recommended granting emergency use authorisation for use of Corbevax in the age group of five to 11 years," a source said.

Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Biological E's Corbevax, India's third homegrown vaccine after Covaxin and Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D, had received emergency use approval for use in children aged 12 to 18 years.

The DCGI had also approved Corbevax for restricted use in emergency situation among adults on December 28, 2021.

READ | EXPLAINED: How Biological E's Corbevax Vaccine Works

Corbevax is India's first indigenously developed Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) Protein sub-unit vaccine against coronavirus. The RBD is a part of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The virus uses the spike protein to attach itself to host cells.

A Corbevax vaccine shot for children between 12-14 age group currently costs Rs 990 in the private market, including all taxes, and Rs 145 at government hospitals and facilities.

However, the Subject Expert Committee on Covid-19 sought more data from Bharat Biotech to review its emergency use authorisation (EUA) application for use of Covaxin among those aged between two and 11 years, PTI quoted sources as saying.

Covaxin was granted approval by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to inoculate the 12-18 age group on December 24, 2021.

The government started vaccinating children aged 12-14 against Covid-19 from March 16. Vaccination for adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years was started from January 3 this year.