Chennai: While the UK is all set to roll out the Pfizer vaccine for use against Covid-19, and Russia too, jumping on the vaccination drive, Indians might have to wait longer.
According to sources, Pfizer has not asked to hold trials in India, which makes clinical testing mandatory for any vaccine.
āEven if Pfizer partners with an Indian company now, it will take some time for the vaccine to be available. Although, the Drugs Controller General of India has discretionary power to waive localised clinical trials for a vaccine, nothing concrete has been finalisedā, said sources.
However, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan confirmed that India was considering a tie-up with Pfizer, with talks going on since August.
Health experts are of the opinion that the vaccine can help disrupt the chain of infections, with healthcare workers being the first to get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, sources said that the focus continues to remain on five other candidates, including one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and produced by the Pune-based Serum Institute.
Last week, AstraZeneca said its candidate – Covishield could be around 90 per cent effective on following one of two dosing regimens.
Covishield, which is at the head of the list of vaccine candidates likely to be rolled out in India, will be produced by the Serum Institute, which has committed to making at least 100 million doses available by the end of January and hundreds of million by the end of February.
Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla has stated that he would ask the centre for an emergency use license within three week, and estimated a need for close to 15 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Over the past 10 days Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held multiple meetings with pharma companies, vaccine developers and manufacturers (including the Serum Institute) and government officials to review efforts to create and distribute a coronavirus vaccine.