Coronavirus: India approves two vaccines and anti-viral drug in one day
These new vaccines are CORBEVAX and COVOVAX while the anti-viral drug is named Molnupiravir.
Further strengthening the fight against COVID-19, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation of the Union Health Ministry has given approvals to two vaccines and an anti-viral drug in one go. These new vaccines are CORBEVAX and COVOVAX while the anti-viral drug is named Molnupiravir. These medicines have been approved for restricted use in emergency situations.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that CORBEVAX vaccine is India's 1st indigenously developed RBD protein sub-unit vaccine and the third vaccine developed in India against COVID-19, Made by Hyderabad-based firm Biological-E. The health minister further said that Nanoparticle Vaccine, COVOVAX, will be manufactured by Pune-based firm Serum Institute of India.
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Mandaviya informed that the anti-viral drug Molnupiravir will now be manufactured in the country by 13 companies for restricted use under emergency situation for treatment of adult patients with COVID-19 and who have a high risk of infection progression.
The minister stated that the three approvals would help the worldwide battle against the epidemic and that the Indian pharmaceutical sector is a "asset for the whole globe."
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With this approval, the number of vaccinations approved for emergency use in India has risen to eight. So far, emergency use authorizations have been granted to Serum Institute's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D, Russia's Sputnik V, and the US-made Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
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