Pfizer: Committed To Engaging With Indian Government To Make Vaccine Available

Global pharma major Pfizer on Thursday said it remains committed to engaging with the Indian government to explore opportunities to make Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine available in the country.

The UK on Wednesday became the first country to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 with the UK regulator Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)granting a temporary authorisation for its emergency use.

"Right now we are in discussions with many governments around the world and remain committed to engaging with the Government of India and explore opportunities to make this vaccine available for use in the country," a Pfizer spokesperson said in a statement.

Pfizer is committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to have access to the vaccine, and is working closely with governments, it added.

"During this pandemic phase, Pfizer will supply this vaccine only through government contracts based on agreements with respective government authorities and following regulatory authorisation or approval," the statement said.

The UK controller, MHRA has allowed an impermanent authorisation for crisis utilization of Covid-19 mRNA antibody. 

This comprises the principal Emergency Use Authorisation following an overall stage 3 preliminary of an antibody to help battle the pandemic, Pfizer said on Wednesday. 

"As we foresee further approvals and



endorsements, we are centered around moving with a similar degree of direness to securely gracefully a top notch antibody around the globe," Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said on Wednesday. 

In November, NITI Aayog part (Health) V K Paul, who additionally heads the National Task Force on Covid-19, had said the appearance of the Pfizer immunization in the nation may take a few months.

"The arrangement of cold-chains for storing the vaccine developed by Pfizer at a low temperature of minus 70 degrees Celsius is a big challenge and it will not be easy for any nation. But then, if at all it has to be obtained, we are examining what we need to do...and will work out a strategy," he had said.

Currently in India, Pune-based Serum Institute of India has said that it will apply for emergency use licensure for AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine in two weeks.

The phase-3 clinical trial of the indigenously-developed vaccine candidate of Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is also underway.

While vaccine candidate of Zydus Cadila has completed the phase-2 clinical trial, pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories has started the combined phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, in India.

Another domestic firm Biological E Ltd has also started early phase 1 and 2 human trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate.