Saturday, April 1, 2023
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
Kashmir Glacier
  • News
    • Kashmir
    • Jammu
    • Ladakh
  • India
  • World
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Interview
  • Health
  • Weekly Edition
  • ePaper
No Result
View All Result
Kashmir Glacier
  • News
    • Kashmir
    • Jammu
    • Ladakh
  • India
  • World
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Interview
  • Health
  • Weekly Edition
  • ePaper
No Result
View All Result
Kashmir Glacier
No Result
View All Result
Home Latest News

Oxford’s vaccine named ‘Covishield’ in India, to be trialed on 5,000 patients

News Desk by News Desk
July 22, 2020
in Latest News, World
0
First Covid-19 vaccine tested on people in US shows promise
0
SHARES
10
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterWhatsApp

Serum Institute of India on Tuesday said it will be starting trials of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca by the end of August on up to 5,000 Indian volunteers after getting the necessary nods, and launch the vaccine by June next year if all goes well, reported Press Trust of India (PTI).

Oxford University on Monday announced satisfactory progress with the vaccine, making it one of the leading ones among the dozens of vaccine candidates being developed around the world.

The varsity has tied up with Serum Institute of India (SII) to manufacture and supply the vaccine to India and over 60 other countries having a combined population of 3 billion.
The Pune-based company’s chief executive Adar Poonawalla said the company, which is the largest vaccine maker in the world, is putting USD 200 million at risk by manufacturing nearly 300 million doses before the final nod to launch the vaccine in market, which is expected at best by the end of the year.

“We are making this application within the next 48 hours to the Drug Controller General of India’s office. They will probably take about 1-2 weeks on what kind of study and trial we will have to do,” Mr. Poonawalla said, speaking to a CNBC-TV-18 news channel.

It will take another three weeks to inject patients in hospitals, he said, adding, “We are talking about a month or month and half maximum from today…may be even sooner.”
The vaccine under development will be injected into 4-5,000 volunteers in Pune and Mumbai — which have high rates of coronavirus infections — as part of the crucial phase three of the trial which will determine if the antidote can be introduced in the market or not.

Mr. Poonawalla said there is no dearth of volunteers and added that unlike the exclusion of older people in the initial phase of trials at Oxford, the Indian trials will include elderly people and health workers as well because the initial phase has conclusively proven the safety of the vaccine.

Parallel to the process of applying for trials and having actual trials on humans in India, the company will be applying for a special permission to start manufacturing the vaccine in the country, which exposes it to a commercial risk if the vaccine fails at the last stage, he said.
As part of the special permission, the company will manufacture up to 70 million doses of the vaccine per month up to October, and plans to take it up to 100 million per month by December, so that it is ready to hit the market once the final approvals are in place.
If this goes to plan, the phase three trials will take two months after the patients get injected and the vaccine gets a final nod by November, he said, adding that in such a scenario, it can get introduced either in “quarter one or two” of next year.

The company has already manufactured around 2-3 million doses of the vaccine for getting the process correct and also stabilising its machinery, Ponnawalla said, clarifying that these will never be used on humans.

“If you look at the process right now, the risk of the opex (operating expenditure) which we are putting in is more than USD 200 million. If this vaccine fails, we will be down (by) USD 200 million,” he said, adding the expenses exclude the opportunity cost of using the same facility for some other purpose.

Poonawalla also said SII is looking at external investors for the vaccine-related endeavour and added that it has tie-ups with five other vaccine candidates which will be housed into a separate step-down subsidiary, where the family will dilute its stake by 15-20 per cent.

Apart from the five tie-ups already forged, SII is in talks with two other candidates, he said, adding that a manufacturing plant with capacity to produce 1 billion units of the vaccine per year will also get housed in the subsidiary.

He further said it is extremely likely that the COVID-19 vaccine would require two or more doses, like in the case of antidotes for measles and other diseases.

“We have got a lot on the line and bet big on this (Oxford-AstraZeneca) candidate. And we really hope it works,” he added.

Meanwhile, Poonawalla Group Chairman Cyrus Poonawalla said SII is committed to producing 1 billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine after it gets the necessary approvals.

He was speaking at an online discussion organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), Pune Chapter.

The company wants to make the vaccine available at the lowest price possible so that even the poor can afford it, a statement quoted Cyrus Poonawalla as saying.

Asked if there could be any setback in terms of productivity and output of the vaccine, he said chances of failure look remote.
If the approvals are in place and trials are completed successfully, then lot of companies will manufacture the vaccine and India will be the largest producer of the Covid-19 vaccine in the world, he added. (PTI)

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • email
  • Print

Share this...

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Twitter
  • Telegram
Previous Post

Fire near IR 23rd headquarters in Lethpora

Next Post

Govt announces strict lockdown across Kashmir from today till July 28

News Desk

News Desk

Related Posts

Oath Ceremony of Association of Anantnag Journalists (AAJ) held at Anantnag
Kashmir

Oath Ceremony of Association of Anantnag Journalists (AAJ) held at Anantnag

by News Desk
March 30, 2023
Apni Party strives for creating a conducive environment in J&K so that people have a peaceful, dignified, and prosperous life: Altaf Bukhari
Kashmir

Apni Party strives for creating a conducive environment in J&K so that people have a peaceful, dignified, and prosperous life: Altaf Bukhari

by Kashmir Glacier News Desk
March 29, 2023
ECI stands by ‘empirical facts about foolproof nature’ of EVMs
Kashmir

Revision of electoral rolls doesn’t disturb schedule/conduct of polls: ECI

by Kashmir Glacier News Desk
March 29, 2023
Scooty rider dies in Shopian road accident
Kashmir

Biker dies in Chatargam road accident

by Kashmir Glacier News Desk
March 29, 2023
J&K Bank extends GOI’s Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinate Debt for stressed MSMEs
Business

CAG pulls up J&K Bank for hiring Broadway hotel for its operations

by Kashmir Glacier News Desk
March 29, 2023
Next Post
The lockdown and its consequences

Govt announces strict lockdown across Kashmir from today till July 28

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Month of May could be ‘make or break’ for COVID-19 fight, say medical experts

10 more COVID-19 deaths in JK, toll rises to 170

July 11, 2020
Four of family feared dead as vehicle plunges into river in Ramban

Navyuga Tunnel Accident: All Injured Persons Belong To Uttar Pradesh: Official

January 4, 2022

Don't miss it

Oath Ceremony of Association of Anantnag Journalists (AAJ) held at Anantnag
Kashmir

Oath Ceremony of Association of Anantnag Journalists (AAJ) held at Anantnag

March 30, 2023
Apni Party strives for creating a conducive environment in J&K so that people have a peaceful, dignified, and prosperous life: Altaf Bukhari
Kashmir

Apni Party strives for creating a conducive environment in J&K so that people have a peaceful, dignified, and prosperous life: Altaf Bukhari

March 29, 2023
ECI stands by ‘empirical facts about foolproof nature’ of EVMs
Kashmir

Revision of electoral rolls doesn’t disturb schedule/conduct of polls: ECI

March 29, 2023
Scooty rider dies in Shopian road accident
Kashmir

Biker dies in Chatargam road accident

March 29, 2023
J&K Bank extends GOI’s Credit Guarantee Scheme for Subordinate Debt for stressed MSMEs
Business

CAG pulls up J&K Bank for hiring Broadway hotel for its operations

March 29, 2023
CAG takes lid off massive illegalities, irregularities in SKUAST recruitment, promotions
Kashmir

CAG takes lid off massive illegalities, irregularities in SKUAST recruitment, promotions

March 29, 2023

Facebook Page Like

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 42,500 other subscribers

© 2021 Kashmir Glacier - Premium news & magazine theme by GITS.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Kashmir
    • Jammu
    • Ladakh
  • India
  • World
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Interview
  • Health
  • Weekly Edition
  • ePaper

© 2021 Kashmir Glacier - Premium news & magazine theme by GITS.

Join WhatsApp