Serum’s Covishield Likely To Get India Nod Before UK

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New Delhi: The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) is likely to allow the emergency use of the Covishield vaccine in India without the necessary approval from the UK where it was developed, according to two senior government officials in the know of the matter.

If the clinical data furnished by the Serum Institute is found satisfactory, the DCGI may clear the shot for use, the officials said on the condition of anonymity.

“Serum Institute has submitted the additional data as sought by the subject expert committee in the last review (on 9 December),” one of the officials was quoted as saying by Mint.

Covishield — Serum Institute’s version of the vaccine — is being developed by Oxford University and British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc. The expert panel had asked the Serum Institute in the December meeting to present the result of the assessment of the UK regulator for granting emergency use licence.