Indian vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII) has sought formal approval for the emergency use of “Covishield”, a Covid-19 vaccine from Oxford in India on 06 December 2020. According to media reports, Serum has sought permission from the Controller General of Indian Medicine (DCGI) to use the emergency of its Corona vaccine ‘Kovishield’. With this, the Serum Institute of India has become the first indigenous company in the country.
Earlier, on 05 December 2020, the Indian unit of American drug maker Pfizer sought formal approval for the emergency use of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by it. Prior to this, Pfizer has received emergency use clearance from Britain and Bahrain. According to media reports, the company has requested for this approval citing medical needs during the epidemic and public interest on a large scale.
Serum, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, is in India testing and producing the vaccine ‘Covishield’ developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca of Britain.
The codename of the Oxford University vaccine is AZD-1222. This vaccine has developed tremendous immunity even in the elderly. SII has also conducted a clinical trial of the third phase of “Covishield”, the Covid-19 vaccine of Oxford in various parts of the country on 06 December 2020 in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
