JOIN USSerum Institute plans to launch Covid vaccine for children in six months
The Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) plans to launch a Covid-19 vaccine for children in the next six months even as it is developing an effective booster dose for doubly-vaccinated persons in the wake of virus undergoing mutation.
The announcements came from SII CEO Adar Poonawala at the CII Partnership Summit 2021, organised in association with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
On the Omicron virus, Poonawala apprised that they are working towards developing the vaccine booster shot which is more effective. “On the back of enough data, it is safe to say that booster vaccines are a proven strategy to get antibodies up to a great extent,” he added.
A CII statement quoted Poonawala saying that globally, the supply of the vaccines has outmatched its demand.
“To keep up with the momentum, countries need to come together and form some agreement in order to prepare standard rules for clinical trials and manufacturing of the vaccines. Multilateral organisations and policy makers should be able to identify and isolate the new mutation/s and find out the efficacy of vaccines against it, in a time bound manner,” he said.
“Joining the two other companies which are working towards developing the vaccine for children, SII has reached the trial phase of the vaccine for the children aged above 3 and should be ready within the next 6 months, '' Poonawala stated.
According to him, in the last two years of the pandemic, India is now better prepared to deal with such a catastrophe, and hopefully the worst is behind us all.
“The Government of India has been working towards creating an effective healthcare system and has made enough provision for hospital beds and oxygen,” he said.
Commending the Government of India’s role in tackling the challenges posed by the pandemic in the last two years, he stated that going forward, Government and Industry should work even more closely to further improve the business environment and simplify the rules and regulations for manufacturers to expand the sector.
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