Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said that India may not require Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in the war against the coronavirus, as other vaccines being tested in the country have so far shown promising results in safety trials. He has said that it is also the responsibility of the people to cooperate with the state government in containing the coronavirus.
No point to consider Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine: Harsh Vardhan
According to media reports, Harsh Vardhan said that there is no point to consider the Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine as even the US regulatory authority has not yet granted approval to the vaccine. And even if the approvals are granted, the manufacturer will try to provide the vaccine to their local population before supplying the vaccine to other countries.
Five vaccine candidates are undergoing human trials in India:
Currently, there are at least five vaccine candidates undergoing human trials in India. Three of these vaccines are in the second and third phase trials to prove safety and effectiveness. The Serum Institute of India, along with ICMR, is undertaking the third phase of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Phase III trials of Covaxin have started in India:
At the same time, the Phase III trial of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ has started. Bharat Biotech is planning to introduce its vaccine f in the second quarter next year. A top company official said that the company has this plan in case it gets the requisite clearances from the regulatory authorities of India.
In addition, Cadila’s vaccine ZyCovD has also completed Phase II testing and is awaiting results. The follow-up time for this vaccine is also coming to an end. Apart from these three, Dr. Reddy’s laboratories have tied up with Russia for the second and third phase trials of ‘Sputnik-V’.
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