Serum Institute of India’s Poonawalla hopes for Omicron-specific vaccine in 6 months: Report
Serum Institute of India (SII) chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla said he hopes to have an omicron-specific vaccine in the country in six months, NDTV reported on Monday.
SII, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, produces AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine under the brand name Covishield.
SII did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Poonawalla’s statement came even as the UK became the first country to authorize an updated version of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which includes protection against the Omicron version, which the government said should be given to people 50 years of age and older. Will be launched in the fall.
The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said in a statement Monday that it has approved Moderna’s combination “bivalent” vaccine, which will be used as an adult booster shot.
In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told vaccine manufacturers that any booster shots for the fall would have to include protection against the latest Omicron variants, meaning BA.4 and BA.5, not the BA.1 subvariants. Moderna’s latest shot.
On Friday, Germany’s health minister said the European Medicines Agency could clean up the tweaked booster next month.
