Pfizer's Covid vaccine may soon be available in India as the process of its approval is in the "final stages", the US pharmaceutical giant has said.
"Pfizer is now in the final stages to get approval for COVID-19 vaccine in India. I hope very soon we will finalise an agreement with the government," company CEO Albert Bourla said yesterday while speaking at a virtual event, the 15th Annual BioPharma and Healthcare Summit.
The vaccine was developed in partnership with the German firm BioNtech. It has a very high efficacy of over 90 per cent in preventing Covid, ANI reported.
Earlier this month, NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul had also said that the approval to the vaccines of Pfizer and Moderna was under consideration in India.
Recently, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) did away with specific trials of COVID-19 vaccines approved by other international regulatory bodies -- a big move that is likely to clear the way for foreign vaccines like Pfizer's and Moderna's for the country's urgent requirement.
In a letter, DCGI Chief VG Somani had said this will be applicable for vaccines approved for restricted use by the US Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, and Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, besides those listed for emergency use by the World Health Organisation.
Only three vaccines -- Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, AstraZeneca's Covishield (manufactured by Serum Institute of India), and the Russian-made Sputnik V -- are in use in India currently.
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