Serum expected a decision on an Indian trial of Novavax's vaccine soon, Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla told Reuters on Friday, hours after the US company reported the efficacy data. "We have already applied to the drug controller's office for the bridging trial, a few days ago," Poonawalla said. SII is already bulk producing a vaccine created by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and Poonawalla told Reuters earlier this month that his company would manufacture "upwards of 40-50 million doses per month" of the Novavax vaccine from around April. Pfizer Inc requested an exception while seeking an emergency-use authorisation for its vaccine developed with German partner BioNTech SE, a request the government has turned down. The Pfizer vaccine has not been approved in India, whose immunisation campaign is using a homegrown one developed by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research, and the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine.

Source: bd News24 January 29, 2021 05:15 UTC