Chennai: Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla has said a coronavirus vaccine could be available in India by January provided approvals from regulatory bodies are in place in time.
Poonawalla’s SI has joined hands with AstraZeneca for the production of the coronavirus vaccine, named ‘Covishield’, developed by Oxford University. The coronavirus vaccine candidate is currently the phase 2-3 clinical trial in the country.
In an interview with Mint, Adar Poonawalla said a coronavirus vaccine is expected to be available in India by January 2021 if all the approvals are in place.
The vaccine candidate is already in the final stage of clinical trials in other countries, and AstraZeneca and its partner on the project, the University of Oxford, expect data from the late-stage trials this year.
If successful, they will file for emergency approvals in as many countries as possible at the same time, its CEO, Pascal Soriot, said this week.In China, the company has a deal with Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products to manufacture the vaccine in the country.
