India to have COVID Vaccines by December?

The CEO of Serum Institute of India, Adar Poonawalla has made certain bold claims for the future of the vaccination in India. Read on to know more:

Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of one of the largest drug producers in India, Serum Institute of India (SII) has stated that he will bring the Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccines to India soon at the price of 500-600 Rs. in the private market. Poonawalla in a recent summit has said that the Oxford vaccines have showcased great and optimistic results thus far.

With Pfizer, Moderna and Sputnik V giving promising results to the media. Oxford's vaccine which is made in a Joint Venture with AstraZeneca has also shown signs of hope. The vaccine has been placed for emergency approval to the United Kingdom authority of MHRA (Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) and the EMEA (European Medicines Agency). After their approval Adar has made plans of applying for an emergency approval from Drug Controller (DCGI) in India to allow public distributions.

The vaccine if given emergency approvals by the UK and European Authorities by the end of November and an emergency approval by DCGI, would be given to the vulnerable groups from mid-end December, while, Adar is optimistic and sure on buying more than 50-60 million doses by January for sure. The method of distribution will focus on the vulnerable groups first with the first two months focussed on them, and then the Vaccine should be available to the general public by March-April.