Serum Institute seeks nod to conduct local trial of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine
New Delhi: The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker, has applied to local authorities to conduct a small domestic trial of Novavax Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, which was found to be 89.3% effective in a UK trial.
Serum expected a decision on an Indian trial of Novavax's vaccine soon, Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla told Reuters on Friday, hours after the U.S. company reported the efficacy data.
There are, however, provisions under rules introduced in 2019 to waive such trials in certain conditions. Pfizer Inc requested an exception while seeking an emergency-use authorisation for its vaccine developed with German partner BioNTech SE, a request the government has turned down.
The Pfizer vaccine has not been approved in India, whose immunisation campaign is using a homegrown one developed by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research, and the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine.
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