Expanding India‘s basket of Covid-19 vaccines, the Central Drug Authority has approved Serum Institute of India’s vaccine Covovax, Biological E’s jab Corbevax and anti-Covid pill Molnupiravir for restricted use in emergency situation. The announcement by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday came a day after the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on Covid-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) recommended granting emergency use authorisation (EUA) to the Covid-19 vaccines Covovax and Corbevax with certain conditions.

The committee also had recommended granting restricted emergency use approval to the drug Molnupiravir for treatment of adult patients with Covid-19 and who have high-risk of progression of the disease. In a tweet, the minister said, “Congratulations India. Further strengthening the fight against Covid-19, CDSCO, @MoHFW_INDIA has given 3 approvals in a single day for: – CORBEVAX vaccine – COVOVAX vaccine – Anti-viral drug Molnupiravir For restricted use in emergency situation”. With this approval, the number of Covid vaccines which have received EUA in the country has increased to eight.

Six Covid-19 vaccines — Serum Institute’s Covishield, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D, Russia‘s Sputnik V and the US-made Moderna and Johnson and Johnson — had already received EUA from the Indian drug regulator earlier.

“Corbevax vaccine is India’s 1st indigenously developed RBD protein sub-unit vaccine against #Covid19, Made by Hyderabad-based firm Biological-E. It’s a hat-trick! It’s now 3rd vaccine developed in India,” Mandaviya said in another tweet. The Nanoparticle Vaccine, Covovax, will be manufactured by Pune-based firm Serum Institute of India, he said.

Source: PTI