New Delhi: The first indigenous vaccine against pneumonia, developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII), is slated to be launched by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and made available in the domestic market early next week, official sources said. According to the sources, the vaccine will be much more affordable than the existing ones manufactured by two foreign companies.
India’s drug regulator in July had granted market approval for the Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate vaccine, after reviewing the phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trial data submitted by the Pune-based firm. This vaccine is used for active immunisation against invasive disease and pneumonia caused by ”Streptococcus pneumonia” in infants, the health ministry had said earlier.
Serum Institute has conducted the phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials of the vaccine in India and African nation Gambia. ”This is the first indigenously developed vaccine in the field of pneumonia,” an official source said.
The vaccine will be much more affordable than the existing ones produced by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK), the sources said. ”It has always been our endeavour to fulfil our prime minister’s dream for ‘vocal for local’ and ‘Making in India’ for the world. ”Moving towards prime minister’s clarion call of Atmanirbhar Bharat, we have achieved one more historical milestone during the lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic by developing India’s first world-class indigenous pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and obtained Indian licensure,” stated a letter written by Prakash Kumar Singh, Additional Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Serum Institute of India (SII) addressed to Vardhan.
