According to a report by NDTV, the Serum Institute of India (SII), the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, is all set to launch an omicron-specific vaccine by the end of this year.
India’s omicron-specific vaccine
Chief Executive officer of SII, Adar Poonawallah, told NDTV that SII is working on a vaccine that explicitly targets the omicron variant of Covid-19. SII is collaborating with Novavax to develop the vaccine, which will be launched within six months.
The omicron-specific vaccine will target the BA5 sub-variant of omicron that wreaked havoc during the second Covid-19 wave in April 2021.
“Think this vaccine is important as a booster. Trials of Novavax are in progress in Australia currently. By November-December should be in a position to approach the US drug regulator,” Poonahwallah said in an interview.
For the unversed, SII is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, which currently produces AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine under the brand name Covishield. Covishield consists of two doses of 0.5 ml each which should be administered in a gap of 12-16 months. The vaccine targets SARS-CoV-2, responsible for Covid-19 viral infection.
UK’s Spikevax vaccine gets approved
Earlier today, the United Kingdom became the first country to approve a Covid vaccine specifically meant for the omicron variant. The booster dose known as “Spikevax bivalent original/omicron” is produced by Moderna. It contains 25 micrograms of the original coronavirus vaccine and 25 micrograms of the omicron variant.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has given the green light to the Moderna jab after it passed the UK regulator’s safety, efficacy, and quality standards. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said the vaccine would be available to those aged 18 and over as a part of the UK’s autumn booster programme.
Following the approval of the Moderna vaccine in the UK, SII has started speedy trials of the next-generation vaccine in collaboration with Novavax. The country can surely expect the vaccines to roll out by the end of 2022.
Read More – A study finds Current covid vaccines to be ineffective on new Omicron variants.
