- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE Serum Institute of India (SII) has sent doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Indonesia in its first export of the Novavax shot through the COVAX network, the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday (1) said, Reuters reported.
The Pune-based SII, which is the world’s largest vaccine-maker, exported to Indonesia 137,500 doses of Covovax, as it calls the vaccine, last week, the report added.
Indonesia has approved the vaccine but neither India nor the World Health Organisation, which co-leads the COVAX vaccine-sharing network, has approved it.
The Press Trust of India news agency recently reported citing official sources that an expert panel of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, India’s central drug authority, which reviewed the SII’s application seeking emergency authorisation of Covovax, has sought additional data from the firm, saying that the vaccine is yet to be approved in the country of origin.
Covovax is the Indian version of the Covid vaccine developed by US-based Novavax Inc and it is being made in India by SII.
The SII had applied to the drugs controller general of India (DGCI) in October for market authorisation for restricted use in emergency, PTI added.
The vaccine-maker has also sought from the drug regulator approval for Covishield vaccine as a booster dose citing adequate stock in the country and a demand for a booster shot due to the emergence of new variants of the deadly disease, PTI reported citing official sources.
