FILE
Amid a race to get the best COVID-19 vaccine, rumour mills are also abuzz with one speculation or the other. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today denied a report about the rejection of Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech's emergency-use authorisation of their respective vaccines. It said that the report was "fake".
Vaccine major Serum Institute of India on Monday had applied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use authorisation for AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine in the country. Pune-based SII has collaborated with AstraZeneca and Oxford University for manufacturing the vaccine and is conducting phase-three clinical trials of the Covishield vaccine in India. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), SII has already manufactured 40 million doses of the vaccine under the at-risk manufacturing and stockpiling license it obtained from the DCGI.
Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech too applied to the central drug regulator seeking emergency use authorisation for its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin. Covaxin is being indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The Indian arm of US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has sought emergency use approval for its vaccine from the central drug regulator, after the firm secured such clearance in the UK and Bahrain.
READ MORE: Serum Institute seeks emergency use nod for Covishield in India
READ MORE: Bharat Biotech applies for emergency use authorisation for Covaxin
