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Serum Institute Continuing With Trials Of AstraZeneca’s Covid Vaccine In India

Serum Institute is continuing with the trials of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine in India and has “faced no issues at all”.

Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India Ltd. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)
Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India Ltd. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)

Serum Institute of India is continuing with the trials of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine in India, the Adar Poonawalla-led drugmaker said on Wednesday.

The Cambridge, U.K.-based pharma firm has announced that late-stage studies of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by Oxford University are on temporary hold as a U.K. participant had an adverse reaction to it.

Serum Institute has entered into a manufacturing partnership with AstraZeneca to produce and supply one billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. It is doing the clinical trials of the potential vaccine in India.

"We can't comment much on the U.K. trials, but they have been paused for further review and they hope to restart soon,” Serum Institute said in a statement. “As far as Indian trials are concerned, it is continuing and we have faced no issues at all.”

Also Read: The World’s Best Hope For Enough Covid-19 Vaccine Comes From India

Last month, the Drug Controller General of India had granted permission to the Pune-based firm to conduct Phase-II and -III human clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.