Covovax trials begin in India, launch hopefully in September: Adar Poonawalla | All you need to know
Adar Poonawalla said clinical trials of Covovax have started in India and he is hopeful that Covid-19 vaccine will be launched in September.
Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla on Saturday announced clinical trials of Covovax have started in India and the vaccine is expected to be launched by September.
Covovax is the second Covid-19 vaccine candidate that is being developed/manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute. It is already manufacturing Covishield, the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and has been granted emergency use authorisation.
"Covovax trials finally begin in India. The vaccine is made through a partnership with Novavax and Serum Institute of India," Adar Poonawalla said in a tweet.
He added that Covovax has been tested against the African and UK variants of the virus causing Covid-19 and has an "overall efficacy of 89 per cent".
"Hope to launch by September 2021!"
Covovax trials finally begin in India; the vaccine is made through a partnership with @Novavax and @SerumInstIndia. It has been tested against African and UK variants of #COVID19 and has an overall efficacy of 89%. Hope to launch by September 2021! https://t.co/GyV6AQZWdV — Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) March 27, 2021
Covovax launch delayed by 3 months
Today's announcement means Covovax's launch has been delayed by three months.
In January, Adar Poonawalla had said the vaccine was expected to be launched in June.
'Temporary ban on raw materials from US'
In his tweet, Adar Poonawalla did not say anything about the delay and what has caused it.
However, earlier this month, he said that a temporary US ban on exports of critical raw materials could limit the production of coronavirus vaccines such as Novavax.
Covovax: The agreement between SSI and Novavax
In August 2020, US-based vaccine maker Novavax had announced a licence agreement with the Serum Institute of India for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and India.
The development and commercialisation pact between Novavax and SII excludes major upper-middle and high-income countries, for which Novavax continues to retain rights.
In January this year, Poonawalla had said SII expected to launch Covovax by June 2021.
"Our partnership for a Covid-19 vaccine with Novavax has also published excellent efficacy results. We have also applied to start trials in India. Hope to launch #COVOVAX by June 2021!", Poonawalla had tweeted back then.
Our partnership for a COVID-19 vaccine with @Novavax has also published excellent efficacy results. We have also applied to start trials in India. Hope to launch #COVOVAX by June 2021! — Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 30, 2021
India to prioritise domestic need for vaccine
Meanwhile, on Friday, India said it would prioritise domestic Covid-19 vaccination drive amid rising coronavirus cases. The government also reportedly informed international buyers about its decision.
India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has so far exported 60.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. The government has so far not imposed any blanket ban on vaccine exports.
(With inputs from agencies)
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