The people of India got the good news on the first day of the New Year. The AstraZeneca-Oxford coronavirus vaccine has been approved for emergency use by the Central Drugs Standards Control Organization of India (CDSCO).
The CDSCO gave its approval on Friday (January 1). The Serum Institute, in association with Oxford University, is developing the vaccine, called Covishield.
Earlier on Wednesday, the British Drug Administration approved the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.
According to the Hindustan Times, the vaccine will soon be officially approved by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) VJ Somani. The DCGI usually approves the proposal for use or approval on an urgent basis only after the recommendation of the expert committee. However, the conditions imposed are not yet known. Details will be known after the official announcement.
On Friday morning, the SEC met again to approve the Covishield of the Serum Institute and the Covaxin of Bharat Biotech.
The vaccine was developed by Oxford in collaboration with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. The vaccine that is being produced in India is by the Seram Institute of India. The Indian company has agreed to make 100 crore doses of corona vaccine for low and middle income countries.
Meanwhile, the company has sought permission from the government to market Pfizer's vaccine in India.
Corona vaccine experimental application or 'dry run' is starting from Saturday (January 2). Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will keep an eye on the dry run that has started in Delhi.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca corona vaccine will be available to the people of Bangladesh as soon as it is approved for emergency use in India. The two countries have already entered into a memorandum of understanding with the company to provide vaccines at the same time in the market. On November 5, a tripartite agreement was signed between the Ministry of Health, Seram Institute and Beximco Pharmaceuticals on the corona vaccine produced at the Seram Institute in India.
The agreement states that they will market the Indian and Bangladeshi markets at the same time. If the vaccine produced by Seram Institute is approved for emergency use in India, then it will also come to Bangladesh. According to the agreement, Bangladesh will get 3 crore doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made in the factory of Serum Institute. It will be possible to give this vaccine to one and a half crore people.
In addition, senior government officials, starting with ministers and secretaries, have repeatedly said that the vaccine will be available in January. Health Minister Zahid Malek has said that three crore doses of vaccine will be given every six months.