The Modi government has given the go-ahead to vaccine producer Serum Institute of India (SII) to manufacture and stockpile Covovax vaccine, ThePrint has learnt.
SII has already begun the production of the vaccine that is being developed in partnership with the US vaccine maker, Novavax.
SII has a tie-up with Novavax to manufacture and supply the vaccine in India and in low- and middle-income countries as part of the COVAX vaccine alliance countries.
“The government has given the nod to SII to start manufacturing Covovax. It will be buying the entire quantity that SII has started stockpiling,” an industry source privy to the developments told ThePrint.
The move is triggered by the severe shortage of vaccines that has put on halt the vaccination drive in several states in India. The Modi government is scrambling to find more options that could help in accelerating the country’s inoculation drive.
Three vaccines which are currently approved for use by the drug regulator, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) are Covishield, Covaxin, and Russia’s Sputnik V. The central government is also in talks with US pharma companies Pfizer and Moderna.
ThePrint reached the official spokesperson of SII and Rajesh Bhushan, secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, via text messages, for an official comment but did not receive any response till the time of publishing.