New Delhi: The much-anticipated COVID vaccine will arrive in India in November and will cost around Rs 1,000 crore, said Adar Poonawala, CEO, Pune Serum Institute, an Indian partner of Oxford University. Construction of the ‘Covishield’ began with the clinical trial.
Poonawala said the decision to spend $ 200 million (approximately Rs 1,500 crore) on the untested drug was taken in just 30 minutes. The challenge is to ensure that the entire drug is destroyed if the second and third trials fail. There was a good sense of the need to take moral responsibility. Adar Poonawala said the decision to move forward was taken unanimously.
The Lancet magazine reported that the vaccine had a positive effect on the first phase of the clinical trial. In addition to the antibody in the body, the production of T-cells that destroy the virus also provides dual protection. It is also good that the vaccine does not show any serious side effects.
According to the Serum Institute, the world’s largest vaccine maker, it will take two years for the vaccine to reach everyone in India. Adar Poonawala said the third phase of the vaccine trial in India is expected to begin in August. It will be completed in two and a half months. He said the vaccine could be made available in November if the drug controller approves the trial positive.
Build 60 million vaccine fields per month. Half of this will be exported. The remaining 30 million will be available in India. “If the vaccine is not available globally with India, it will not work and the authorities are convinced,” he said. Health workers, including doctors, should be vaccinated early.
