New Delhi: The government approved two more vaccines Biological-E’s Corbevax and Serum Institute’s Covovax, as well as anti-viral drug Molnupiravir on Tuesday. Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya took to Twitter to laud the Emergency Use Approval of the three products.
Congratulations India ??
Further strengthening the fight against COVID-19, CDSCO, @MoHFW_INDIA has given 3 approvals in a single day for:
– CORBEVAX vaccine
– COVOVAX vaccine
– Anti-viral drug MolnupiravirFor restricted use in emergency situation. (1/5)
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) December 28, 2021
Mandaviya stated that Corbevax, made by Hyderabad-based Biological-E is India’s first indigenously developed RBD protein sub-unit vaccine against COVID-19. It is the third vaccine developed in India.
Serum Institute of India’s second vaccine Covovax is a nanoparticle vaccine, he stated. The Covovax vaccine is manufactured by technology transfer from Novavax, and is approved by the European Medicines Agency for conditional marketing authorisation and had received the WHO’s EUA. Serum already produces Covishield that’s been administered under the vaccination programme.
Anti-viral drug Molnupiravir, the minister added, will be produced by 13 companies across the country for restricted use under emergency situations. It will be given for treatment of adult COVID-19 patients, along with the ones who have a high risk of progression of COVID-19, he stated.
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in consortium with Cipla, Mylan, Torrent, Emcure and Sun pharma had presented their proposal for approval of Molnupiravir 200mg capsules for approval in emergency situations.
The approval comes after an expert panel recommended granting emergency use authorisation to Covovax and Corbevax with certain conditions. The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on Monday also recommended granting permission to manufacture and market Molnupiravir.
