Covovax trials begin in India, hope to launch it by Sept 2021: SII CEO Adar Poonawalla

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Saturday said clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine Covovax have begun in India and the company hopes to launch it by September this year.

Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla on Saturday said clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine Covovax have begun in India and the company hopes to launch it by September this year.

In August 2020, American vaccine company Novavax, Inc had announced a licence agreement with SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and India.

"Covovax trials finally begin in India; the vaccine is made through a partnership with @Novavax and @SerumInstIndia. It has been tested against African and UK variants of #Covid19 and has an overall efficacy of 89%. Hope to launch by September 2021!," Poonawalla said in a tweet.