'India likely to have COVID-19 vaccine by December', says Serum Institute's CEO Poonawalla

In a massive development, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said that India should have coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year, adding that the final price of the anti-virus dose will be announced in two months. The institute had last week announced its partnership with Gavi and the Gates Foundation that will accelerate the manufacture and delivery of up to 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for India and low- and middle-income countries.

According to media reports, the Pune based SII will have exclusive rights for the vaccine in India during the term of the deal and non-exclusive rights during the “Pandemic Period” in all countries other than those designated by the World Bank as upper-middle or high-income countries.

READ: Russia names ‘world’s first’ COVID-19 vaccine after first Earth satellite ‘Sputnik’

Meanwhile, last week, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) gave nod to the Serum Institute of India for conducting phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the Oxford University's COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the country.

Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila, which have been conducting early-stage testing of their candidates Covaxin and ZyCov-D over the last 20 days, are also starting second phase trials, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said on Tuesday.

READ: Serum signs Covid vaccine deal with US-based Novavax; gets exclusive rights for India

Serum-Oxford COVID vaccine 

While the exchange between Mahindra and Poonawalla delighted several internet users, it was reported coronavirus vaccine developed at the Oxford University will be in India by November. The SII recently also received Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approval to conduct phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of its potential COVID-19 vaccine in India.

According to the study design, the drug-firm will be administrating each subject with two doses four weeks apart. The researchers will be assessing the safety and immunogenicity at predefined intervals. The domestic pharma giant has partnered with British drugmaker AstraZeneca for manufacturing the Oxford vaccine candidate for COVID-19.

READ: COVID-19: CEO of Serum institute responds to Anand Mahindra's 'Big V vaccine' tweet

Russia announces vaccine

The Russian vaccine is developed at the Gamaleya institute in Moscow and authorities in the former Soviet Union are planning to start mass production by September. Scientists in Russia have controversially claimed that they will be the first country to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in the world, even comparing it with the space-race between the United States and USSR, when the latter sent the first satellite into space. According to reports, researchers and scientists working on the vaccine at Gamaleya institute months ago injected the prototype into themselves, garnering criticism from the international health community for rushing human trials.

READ: Serum-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine gets DGCI nod for Phase 2, 3 clinical trials in India