Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla said on Saturday that the Covid-19 vaccination drive may begin by January 2021, as his company was expecting to get emergency-use authorisation by the end of this month, India Today reported.
Poonawalla said he expected everyone in India to be vaccinated by October 2021 after which normal pre-Covid life could resume again. He was speaking at The Economic Times Global Business Summit.
“By this month-end, we might get an emergency licence, but the actual licence for wider use might come in at a later date. But we are confident that if the regulators give a nod, India’s vaccination drive can start by January 2021,” he said.
Poonawalla added that once 20 per cent of the Indian population received the coronavirus vaccine, there would be resurgence of confidence and sentiments. “By September-October next year hopefully there will be enough vaccines for everyone and normal life can return,” he said.
Meanwhile, Niti Aayog member V K Paul said the emergency use authorisation for a Covid-19 vaccine would be given by the country’s drug regulator after analysing all aspects of safety and efficacy.
Addressing the 93rd annual convention of industry body FICCI, he said that management of the immunisation programme and election process in the country gives the government confidence that even the vaccine initiative could also be successfully imparted to the target groups.
We have three applications today for the emergency use authorisation on sound principles. We have Pfizer, we have Bharat Biotech and we have Serum and they have not only met the deadline, they have overtaken the deadline, Paul said.
Terming the current period as an inflection point, he said that decisions regarding the vaccine would roll out in a matter of a few days. “Importantly, these decisions will be science-based, evidence based, rules based. Our regulator will make the right decision. Safety, immunogenicity and efficacy will drive the decision,” Paul noted.
He further said, “We have absolutely no pressure on the regulator to do the decision one way or the other; I can say this with authority. We have insulated that system. We respect their decision making process.”
Paul said taking the right decision was important for the nation. “There is a reputation to be kept. Our vaccines go to half of the world. If we compromise today we will be hurting ourselves,” he noted.
He also said that DCGI was in touch with the UK regulator. “We are trying to work together irrespective of a particular vaccine which is common to both the nations, Paul said.
On starting the process of imparting the vaccine, he added that the process would have to be regulated so that the most needy get the dosage first. Paul said that conventional cold chains have been built up to store the vaccine and so has been the capacity of syringes and needles.
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