Oxford Covid-19 vaccine is good news for India, Serum Institute to manufacture 1 billion doses
The Pune based Serum Institute has said that it will start manufacturing the vaccine even before the final nod so as to be ready with sizeable volume once the vaccine gets all required permissions.
New Delhi: The first set of results from clinical trials of Oxford University Covid-19 has raised hopes of fighting the pandemic. According to a study published in Lancet, the vaccine turned out to be safe and also triggered immune response in the trial.
Trials involving 1,077 people put out encouraging results. After the vaccine was administered, it triggered antibodies formation and white blood cells that can fight coronavirus.
The vaccine development by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and the encouraging results have been followed by Serum Institute of India (SII). The SII has also announced seeking regulatory approvals for seeking clinical trials in India.
Serum Institute to begin human trial soon
India’s Serum Institute, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, has sought the DCGI’s permission to begin human trials of the vaccine.
AstraZeneca has partnered with nine companies across the globe and committed to the production of 2 billion doses once the vaccine is ready to be rolled out.
India’s Serum Institute, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, has been chosen by Oxford and its partner AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine once it gets ready.
Will manufacture 1 billion doses of vaccine, says Serum Institute
In a statement, CEO of Serum Institute of India said, “The trials have shown promising results and we are extremely happy about it. We will be applying for the licensure trials to the Indian regulator in a week’s time. As soon as they grant us permission, we will begin with the trials for the vaccine in India. In addition, we will soon start manufacturing the vaccine in large volumes, the institute will manufacture and supply one billion doses of the vaccine.”
The Pune based Serum Institute also announced that it will start manufacturing the vaccine even before the final nod so as to be ready with sizeable volume once the vaccine gets all required permissions.
Why the vaccine has raised hopes
The initial results of Oxford vaccine trial have been promising but there is still a long way to go before getting final nod and beginning of vaccine production.
The Phase I/II data for coronavirus vaccine shows that the vaccine did not lead to any unexpected reactions and had a similar safety profile to previous vaccines of this type.
The vaccine was able to generate antibody and T-cell response in the body which is what is expected of a good vaccine.
Also, the side-effects of the vaccine are not major. These might include mild swelling in the arm where the vaccine has been administered, slight headache and fever, said a news report.