AstraZeneca vaccine set to become first to get approval in India-sources

NEW DELHI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - India's drug regulator is set
to approve on Friday a coronavirus vaccine developed by
AstraZeneca and Oxford University for emergency use,
three sources with knowledge of the matter said.

The decision would pave the way for the vaccine's rollout in
the world's second-most populous country which, after the United
States, has the highest number of COVID-19 infections in the
world.

Britain and Argentina have already authorised the vaccine
for urgent public use.

India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO),
whose experts were meeting for the second time this week, could
also approve a vaccine locally developed by Bharat Biotech, two
of the sources said on condition of anonymity.

"Both AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech will get approval
today," said one of the sources. "All preparations are on with
today's date in mind."

The other sources were less certain about Bharat Biotech's
prospects.

A CDSCO representative declined to comment. The group is
meeting a day ahead of a nationwide trial run https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1685048
for vaccine delivery in the country with more than 10 million
coronavirus infections.

More than 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have
already been stockpiled by its local manufacturer, Serum
Institute of India (SII), and one of the sources said the shots
could start to be transported from cold storage to Indian states
as early as Saturday.

SII did not immediately respond to an email request seeking
comment.

The government said on Wednesday that Pfizer Inc had
sought more time to present data for emergency authorisation of
a vaccine it has developed with Germany's BioNTech.
(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Krishna N. Das and Nigam
Prusty: Editing by Neil Fullick)