- Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine producer by volume, has sought emergency use authorisation in the country for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, its chief executive officer said on Monday (Dec 7).
- The experimental vaccine can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and can be distributed more easily in India, which has the world’s second-highest number of infections.
- Serum’s move comes close on the heels of Pfizer applying for a similar authorisation of its coronavirus vaccine candidate on Saturday.
- Earlier in the day, media reports, citing domestic agency Press Trust of India (PTI), had said Serum applied to the Drugs Controller General of India, citing unmet medical needs due to the pandemic and in the interest of the public at large.
- The company’s application stated that data from four clinical studies – two in the UK and one each in Brazil and India – showed that the vaccine, Covishield, was highly effective against severe COVID-19 infections, the PTI report said.
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