Govt panel against Serum Institute’s Covovax trial on children aged 2-17 years

New Delhi: An expert panel recommended against granting permission to Serum Institute of India (SII) on Wednesday for conducting the phase 2/3 trial of Covid-19 vaccine Covovax on children aged between two to 17 years.

Reports said that the panel asked the pharmaceutical company to complete trials on adults first.

The SII applied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Monday seeking permission for conducting a trial of Covovax on 920 children, 460 each in the 12-17 and 2-11 age groups, at 10 sites, added reports.

The clinical trials of Covovax began in India in March. SII hopes to launch it by September for adults.

The SII has already begun manufacturing the first batch of Covovax , said CEO of SII Adar Poonawalla.