Covishield Ready For Public Use By December, Informs SII

– Elderly Responding Well To Oxford Vaccine –

In a recent update, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has informed that Covishield – the coronavirus vaccine, being developed by Oxford University and British firm AstraZeneca, could be ready for public use in December 2020. SII is currently conducting the phase-3 trial of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine in India.

“Maybe we can launch in India in January, subject to the UK trial also being completed which it’s on the verge on being completed,” Poonawalla said during an interview with NDTV. He added that over the next couple of weeks, if the data shared by the UK deems the vaccine safe, SII will apply for an emergency licence before the Indian regulator.

The first batch of 100 million doses of ‘Covidshield’ vaccine should be available by the second or third quarter of 2021. The Oxford vaccine will be a two-dose vaccine, with a gap of 28 days between doses. The pricing will be made affordable, keeping it much cheaper a test, with the government bearing most of its financial load – “We cannot comment on the cost yet since we are in talks with the government. But I would say it would be in the range of a couple of hundred rupees with the rest being absorbed by the government,” said Poonawalla. He also shared that there was no immediate concern about the safety of the Oxford vaccine, adding that early indicators have been positive. However, he added said it would still take a year or two to be certain about the vaccine’s long-term effects.

Earlier in the week, Adar Poonawalla shared the good news on Twitter that the Oxford coronavirus vaccine has produced a robust immune response in older and elderly and those at high risk of severe illness. “It does give an immune response which is good news. You know we were always fearful that whether it will protect the elderly as well, that was our concern. So, you know it will give a slightly different response but it seems at the moment we’re going to get a response both in the young and healthy, and the elderly,” he told NDTV. Poonawalla’s announcement became a ray of hope amid the pandemic because the immune system weakens with age and older people are those most at risk of dying from the virus.

It is anticipated that the Oxford vaccine will be one of the first to secure regulatory approval, along with US-based Pfizer and Moderna Inc’s candidates as the world endeavours to rise out of the pandemic.