Orders Placed for Five Crore Doses of “Corbevax”
NEW DELHI, Feb 5: Even before deciding which segment of beneficiaries this new vaccine would be administered, the Centre has placed a purchase order with the Hyderabad-based Biological E for five crore doses of COVID vaccine Corbevax each costing ₹145 excluding taxes, official sources said on Saturday.
However discussions are underway in technical groups and in the Health Ministry’s immunisation division about expanding the scope of the precaution doses which are currently being given to healthcare and frontline workers, and comorbid senior citizens.
The HLL Lifecare Limited, a public sector undertaking, has issued the supply order of Corbevax to Biological E on behalf of the Union Health Ministry. The company is expected to provide the supplies in the current month.
The government has told Parliament that any decision on expanding the list of eligible beneficiaries for precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination of children below 15 years will be in accordance with the recommendations of the NTAGI based on a review of the available scientific evidence.
India’s Drug Regulator had approved the county’s first indigenously developed RBD protein sub-unit vaccine against COVID-19, Corbevax, for restricted use in emergency situation. Corbevax is administered through an intramuscular route with two doses scheduled 28 days apart and is stored between 2 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees Celsius. It is presented as 0.5 ml (single dose) and 5 ml (10 doses) vial pack.
The company has conducted phase 1/2, 2/3 clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine in the country. It has also conducted a phase 3 active comparator clinical trial to evaluate superiority against Covishield vaccine, the health ministry had stated.
The Emergency Use Authorization proposal for Corbevax was reviewed by CDSCO in consultation with SEC on December 10 and 27 last year. After deliberation, it recommended for grant of permission for restricted use in emergency situation to manufacture and market Corbevax for people above 18 years subject to various regulatory conditions. The recommendations were later accepted by the Drugs Controller General of India.
(Manas Dasgupta)
