(Adds government statement)
NEW DELHI, Dec 30 (Reuters) - India's drug regulator will
meet again on Friday to consider approving AstraZeneca
and Oxford University's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use after
Britain became the first country to do so, the government said https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1684821
following a meeting on Wednesday.
India wants to start inoculating its citizens next month. It
is also considering emergency-use authorisation applications for
vaccines made by Pfizer Inc with Germany's BioNTech
, and by India's Bharat Biotech.
India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the
country's Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)
was analysing trial and other data presented by the AstraZeneca
vaccine's local partner and Bharat Biotech.
"The analysis of the additional data and information is
going on," the ministry said in a statement, adding that Pfizer
had requested more time to present data.
Sources earlier told Reuters the CDSCO was likely to approve
the AstraZeneca vaccine this week after its local manufacturer,
Serum Institute of India (SII), submitted additional trial
findings.
SII, the world's biggest vaccine producer, 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, which has the world's second highest number of
COVID-19 infections after the United States, plans to inoculate
300 million people in the next six to eight months. 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 and Jan Harvey)