India’s drug regulator expert committee approved emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for Merck & Co Inc’s Covid-19 pill molnupiravir, Serum Institute of India’s covovax vaccine, and Biological E’s corbevax vaccine on Tuesday.
Mansukh Mandaviya, health minister of the Union of India, said on Tuesday that the Centre has given emergency use authorization to two vaccines and one antiviral drug in an effort to strengthen its fight against the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.
“Further strengthening the fight against Covid-19, CDSCO, health ministry has given 3 approvals in a single day for CORBEVAX vaccine, COVOVAX vaccine, anti-viral drug Molnupiravir for restricted use in emergency situation,” Mansukh Mandaviya posted on Twitter.
Two vaccines and one anti-viral drug were approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) a day after its Subject Expert Committee (SEC) recommended that emergency use authorization be given.
COVOVAX will be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), while CORBEVAX will be manufactured by Biological-E. In a Tuesday press conference, health minister Mandaviya said CORBEVAX is a first-of-its-kind domestically developed RBD subunit vaccine against Covid-19.
In contrast, 13 Indian companies will manufacture the anti-viral drug molnupiravir for use in treating adult patients with Covid-19, who are at high risk of developing the disease.
Experts say India needs to step up its vaccine campaign ahead of New Year celebrations in order to avoid a spike in infections and a repeat of summer 2021
