New Delhi: US based Novavax Covid-19 vaccine candidate has demonstrated a 90.4 percent efficacy in phase 3 clinical trials. The Serum Institute of India (SII), as a partner, has already started manufacturing the vaccine naming it as Covovax.
In the phase 3 of its clinical trials, the study involved 29,960 participants across 119 sites across the US and Mexico.
Reportedly, Government of India expects the availability of 20 crore doses of Covovax between August and December. India is yet to grant authorisation for its emergency use. It is likely that the country will allow entry of this vaccine once the USFDA approves it.
It is to be noted that, SII was planning to begin production of Covovax at a rate of roughly 40 to 50 million doses per month from April. However in January , SII chief Poonawalla stated that shortage of raw materials would likely result in delays that would only see it reach peak production rates by the end of 2021.