ADVERTISEMENT

Novavax’s Covid-19 Vaccine Trials Start in India, Serum Says

The vaccine has been tested against African and U.K. variants of the virus and has shown an overall efficacy of 89%.

Novavax’s Covid-19 Vaccine Trials Start in India, Serum Says
Signage is displayed outside the Novavax headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland. (Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg)

Trials of Novavax Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine have started in India, with the aim of launching it by September, according to Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer at local partner Serum Institute of India Pvt.

The vaccine has been tested against African and U.K. variants of the virus and has shown an overall efficacy of 89%, Poonawalla said on Twitter.

The news comes amid rising pressure on the government to inoculate millions of its citizens to protect them from a surge in infections. Arresting the so-called second wave will be crucial for the economy to recover from the world’s strictest lockdown last year.

India has slowed down exports of coronavirus vaccines, according to government officials with knowledge of the matter. A total of 57 million vaccine doses have been administered so far in India, according to data collected by Bloomberg News and Johns Hopkins University.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.