Bermuda Post

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

India rolls out red carpet for foreign-made vaccines as infections surge

India rolls out red carpet for foreign-made vaccines as infections surge

The Indian government has said that foreign-made vaccines approved by the US, UK and Japan, and those listed by the World Health Organization, can be granted emergency use approval, in a policy U-turn that comes as India registered the highest surge in Covid-19 infections.

In a marked shift in its policy on regulatory approvals for foreign vaccine manufacturers, the Indian government fast-tracked approval for foreign vaccines, which can apply for emergency-use authorisation.

“It will also open up, eventually, doors for import of bulk or import of finished foreign vaccines in vials or import leading to fill and finish (of the vaccine) in the country,” Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told the media.


"We invite...Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and others to be ready to come to India as early as possible," said VK Paul, chairman of the National Expert Committee on Vaccine Administration.

Soaring infections


The decision comes at a time when India recorded the world’s biggest surge in infections. In addition, severe vaccines shortages are being reported from various parts of the country with several states indicating that just over five days of vaccine stocks are currently remaining, while another week of supplies is in the pipeline.

On Wednesday, India reported a total of 184,372 new Covid-19 cases pushing the tally of cases to 13.8 million, according to health ministry data. With 1,027 deaths in the last 24 hours, the death toll increased to 172,085.

India has already passed Brazil's tally, making it the country with the second-highest number of infections in the world.

The western state of Maharashtra, the epicentre of the second wave, alone accounts for 50 percent of the total active caseload of the country.

Under the new norms, instead of conducting a local clinical trial before seeking an emergency use authorisation, vaccine makers can conduct a bridging trial parallel to the rollout post-authorisation, the government said.

“The first 100 beneficiaries of such foreign vaccines shall be assessed for seven days for safety outcomes before it is rolled out for further immunisation," the health ministry statement said.

“The plan is to increase the pace of vaccination with a bigger pool of vaccines because this second Covid wave is unprecedented and we need to be prepared,” virologist Jacob John told RFI.

Shortage of vaccines


A day prior to the announcement, Russia's Covid vaccine Sputnik V was cleared for emergency use by India's drug regulator, the Drugs Controller General of India.

Currently there are two approved vaccines – one developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca and made by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), and another developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech.

The government reportedly failed to anticipate a higher demand for vaccinations when it opened up its first vaccination drive on January 16.

Officials also did not take into account the vaccines that the country had shipped out through its ambitious "Vaccine Maitri", or "vaccine friendship", initiative with other countries.


India has shipped more than 60 million doses to 76 nations, delivered either under the World Health Organization-backed Covax mechanism or as part of commercial deals.

Since the country started the world's largest vaccination programme, over 111 million people have received one dose of the vaccine so far.

With demand for vaccines suddenly spiking since 1 April due to the second surge in infections as well as the age threshold for vaccination being reduced to 45 plus, production capacity was unable to keep up.

Pfizer, which withdrew its application for importing its mRNA vaccine after the subject expert committee of India’s drug regulator rejected its request for a waiver for a local trial, is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of the relaxed rules in India.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
'I just lost it' Lowe’s worker fired after 13 years of employment for confronting thieves trying to steal $2K of merchandise
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
×