NEW DELHI, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Experts at India's drug
regulator were meeting on Wednesday to consider approving an
AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine for emergency use
after Britain became the first country to do so, two sources
with knowledge of the matter said.
A representative of India's Central Drugs Standard Control
Organization (CDSCO) declined to reveal the agenda of the
meeting but said its minutes would be uploaded on its website
within hours.
Sources earlier told Reuters the CDSCO was likely to approve
the vaccine this week after its local manufacturer, Serum
Institute of India (SII), submitted additional trial data.
SII, the world's biggest producer of vaccines, has already
stockpiled about 50 million doses, enough for 25 million people.
It welcomed the UK approval.
"This is great and encouraging news," Chief Executive Adar
Poonawalla said in a statement. "We will wait for the final
approval from Indian regulators."
India wants to start administering the shots starting next
month and is also considering emergency use authorisation
applications for vaccines made by Pfizer Inc with
Germany's BioNTech and by India's Bharat Biotech.
India, which has the world's second highest number of
COVID-19 infections in the world after the United States, plans
to inoculate 300 million people in the next six to eight months
and the affordable Oxford vaccine is its biggest hope.
Though the Indian government has not yet signed a purchase
agreement with SII, the company says it will focus on its home
market first, and then exports, mainly to South Asian countries
and Africa.
(Reporting by Nigam Prusty and Krishna N. Das; editing by Jason
Neely)