In a massive development, the subject expert panel on COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday recommended India's drug regulator to grant Emergency Use Authorisation (EOA) to Hyderabad-based Biological E’s Corbevax for the age group of 5-12 years subject to various conditions. As per reports, the subject expert committee's recommendation will be discussed and taken up by India's drug regulator for the formal approval of the COVID vaccine for children in the next few days.
Notably, Corbevax, manufactured by Hyderabad-based pharmaceuticals and biologics major Biological E Ltd is already been in the market. Currently, Corbevax COVID vaccine is given to children in the age group of 12-14 years. It is pertinent to mention here if India's drug regulator gives its formal approval, Corbevax will become the first Covid-19 vaccine candidate that could be likely administered for children aged above 5 years.
Corbevax vaccine is India’s first indigenously-developed protein sub-unit vaccine against Covid-19. Currently, India is only administering the Covid-19 vaccines to those in the age group of 12-18 years. Significantly, India is administering only Corbevax to the 12-14 years age group. Corbevax includes an antigen developed by Texas Children’s Hospital Centre for Vaccine Development and in-licensed from BCM Ventures, Baylor College of Medicine’s integrated commercialization team. As per reports, the centre has already made an advance payment of Rs 1500 crore to reserve 30 crore doses of Corbevax.
Amidst the fresh spike in COVID-19 cases and with the fourth wave looming over India, the approval of Corbevax might prove to be a major breakthrough for India's pharmaceutical sector.
India's COVID case
After observing a decline in COVID cases, India is yet again seeing a massive spike in COVID-19 cases. India on Thursday reported 2,380 fresh cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), 15 percent higher than the previous day. The number of total fatalities rose to 522,062 after 56 people succumbed to the viral disease in the last 24 hours, according to the data updated on the Union health ministry's website.