Pharmaceutical company Pfizer is now in final stages to get approval for its Covid-19 vaccine in India, the company’s CEO Albert Bourla said as reported by news agency ANI. Speaking at a virtual event, Pfizer Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Albert Bourla said he hopes the company will finalize an agreement with the Indian government soon.
“Pfizer now in final stages to get approval for Covid-19 vaccine in India. I hope very soon we will finalize an agreement with the government,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said at the 15th Annual BioPharma and Healthcare Summit.
The vaccine was developed by Pfizer in partnership with the German firm BioNtech. It has a very high efficacy of over 90% in preventing the infection.
Earlier this month, Dr VK Paul, Member-Health at Niti Aayog said that approval to the coronavirus vaccines of Pfizer and Moderna is under consideration in India. Recently, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has done away with specific trials of COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved by other international regulatory bodies – a big move likely to clear the way for foreign vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna for the country’s urgent requirement.
In a letter, DCGI Chief VG Somani had said that this will be applicable for vaccines that have already been approved for restricted use by the US FDA, EMA, UK MHRA, PMDA Japan or listed for Emergency Use by the World Health Organisation.
Reports earlier stated that US major Pfizer has told Indian authorities that its jab has shown “high effectiveness” against the SARS-CoV-2 variant prevalent in India and on people of Indian ethnicity or nationality, while it is suitable for everyone aged 12 years or above and can be stored for a month at 2-8 degrees.
Pfizer, which is ready to offer 5 crore doses to India between July and October this year and has sought certain relaxations including indemnification, has held a series of interactions with the Indian government authorities recently including one this week, during which it shared the most recent data points regarding efficacy trials and approvals for its vaccine in various countries and by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Several foreign vaccine makers such as Pfizer, Moderna have demanded an indemnity bond that will exempt them from legal claims in case there are any adverse effects from the vaccines when administered in India.
Although Pfizer has obtained legal protection in several countries, including Britain and the United States, India has not given any manufacturer of a Covid-19 vaccine indemnity.
(With inputs from agencies)
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