Expert panel to meet today for Covid-19 vaccine approval

Indian drug regulators will meet on Jan 1 and emergency use authorisation for a Covid-19 vaccine may be granted if the expert panel is satisfied with the data submitted by pharmaceutical companies on the vaccine trials.

Indian drug regulators on December 30 did not grant emergency approval to any of the three vaccine manufacturers who approached the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) seeking such permission for the early roll out of their Covid-19 vaccine in India.

Read | WHO grants 'emergency validation' to Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

The applications of Pfizer; Serum Institute of India, Pune; and Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad, were reviewed by a subject expert committee of the CDSCO.

While Pfizer sought more time to present their case, additional data submitted by the SII and Bharat Biotech were perused by the panel, but no decision was taken.

"Further time was requested on behalf of Pfizer. The additional data and information presented by SII and Bharat Biotech Pvt. Ltd was perused and analysed by the SEC. The analysis of the additional data and information is going on. The SEC will convene again on January 1, 2021," the health ministry had said on Dec 30.