Britain today became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. Pharma major AstraZeneca today said that the COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency use in the UK and the first doses are being released today so that vaccinations may begin early in the New Year. The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has provided authorisation for emergency supply of Oxford covid vaccine for the active immunisation of individuals 18 years or older, it said. In India, Serum Institute of India (SII), the domestic maker of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, has already sought emergency use authorisation for covid vaccine. We would like to thank our many colleagues at AstraZeneca, Oxford University, the UK government and the tens of thousands of clinical trial participants."

Source: Mint December 30, 2020 07:13 UTC