A government-appointed panel of experts has approved the Serum Institute of India’s coronavirus vaccine Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for emergency use in the country. The final call on the efficacy of a vaccine will be taken by the Drugs Controller General of India.
Covaxin, which is still in the clinical trial phase, was granted approval in “public interest as an abundant precaution” in connection with the mutated strain of the coronavirus, the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs said in a statement.
The panel also recommended that the DCGI grant approval to Cadila Healthcare for conducting the third phase trials of its vaccine.
The Serum Institute is the local maker of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and pharmaceuticals company AstraZeneca. Covaxin is being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology.
Bharat Biotech is yet to release efficacy data of its…