India to approve 5 more COVID-19 vaccines by October; expert committee to consider Sputnik V today
India may get a third vaccine for the novel coronavirus very soon. As more and more states flag shortage of Covid-19 vaccine doses, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) will be meeting today to take up Sputnik V application for emergency use authorisation in India, new agency ANI reported.
FollowAfter a short spell that had Indians optimistic that the worst in the battle against Covid-19 was behind them, the country has now followed the same trajectory as several others across the world and is now firmly in the midst of a second wave.
According to data from the Union Health Ministry, India has set yet another daily record, clocking an alarming 1,68,912 fresh Covid-19 infections overnight. In doing so, the nation has now surpassed Brazil to become the second-hardest hit country in the world now behind only the United States.
India may get a third vaccine for the novel coronavirus very soon. As more and more states flag shortage of Covid-19 vaccine doses, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) will be meeting today to take up Sputnik V application for emergency use authorisation in India, new agency ANI reported.
"We can expect five more vaccines by Q3 2021. These vaccines are Sputnik V vaccine (in collaboration with Dr Reddy's), Johnson & Johnson vaccine (in collaboration with Biological E), Novavax vaccine (in collaboration with Serum India), Zydus Cadila's vaccine, and Bharat Biotech's intranasal vaccine," the source told the news agency.
India has granted emergency use authorisation to indigenously made Covaxin, developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, and Oxford University-Astrazeneca's vaccine, manufactured by Serum Institute of India under the brand name Covishield.
Of all the vaccines, Sputnik V will be the first one to get approval. "It is expected that Sputnik is likely to get the EUA within the next ten days," the source added.
Giving details about the availability of vaccines, a top source said: "Sputnik is expected to be available latest by June, if all goes well Johnson and Johnson (Bio E) will be available by August, Cadilla Zydus will also be available by August, Novavex (Serum) by September and Nasal Vaccine (Bharat) by October."
Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Serum Institute's Covishield are the two vaccines that received regulatory nod earlier this year.
