AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm which currently carries out phase III human trial operations in Brazil, South Africa and the UK, has been approved for "dual-immunity" vacunation in its preliminary trial procedures. The UK drug company partnered with the Pune Serum Institute in India to supply the Middle and Low-Income countries with one trillion doses of "ChAdOx1 nCoV-19" (also known as AZD1222) following authorisation of a vaccine.
Under the brand name 'COVISHIELD,' the Pune-based Serum Institute of India is now pursuing regulatory approval for the Oxford vaccine in India. The company will report on phase I / II studies of AstraZeneca Oxford in India, starting from next month itself, once they have been given the go-ahead by the authorities.
As from now, the human studies are scheduled for August 2020, and 1600 stable, over 18-year-old volunteers will perform randomized controlled safety and immunogenicity tests, as stated in PTI. In order to begin final human trials of COVID-19, produced by Oxford researchers, the SII based in Pune has already submitted a request to be DGCI approved.
Speaking of the prices of the vaccine candidate of the Oxford University, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, said, 'It is too early to comment on the price of the vaccine. Yet we shall keep it at Rs 1.000 per dose. "SII is committed to delivering at least 5 million doses per month for the first six months after signing a licensing agreement with AstraZeneca.