Serum Institute Seeks Approval For Covishield As Booster Dose

Pune: Serum Institute of India (SII) has sought approval from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for Covishield to be administered in the form of booster dose.

In an application to drugs regulator DCGI, Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute, has cited adequate vaccine stock in India and a necessity for a booster shot especially after the emergence of new coronavirus variants, PTI reported quoting sources.

SII further mentioned that UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has already approved booster dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. Since Serum Institute is manufacturing the same vaccine in a different brand name (Covishield), it’s only logical that India should embrace it.

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Unlike countries like the US, UK, Germany, India has not decided on introducing a booster shot for its citizens. But a decision on the matter may be announced soon.

Also Read: COVID Vaccine: Policy On Booster & Additional Dose To Be Made Public In 2 Weeks