Serum Institute of India to launch country's first domestically-produced Pneumonia vaccine

Amid the race for the next COVID-19 vaccine, the Serum Institute of India has announced that it is ready to launch India's first indigenously produced Pneumonia vaccine- 'Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine' on December 28.

SII CEO Adar Poonawalla will be addressing the event in the presence of Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan. He is said to touch upon the Pneumonia vaccine's efficacy and overall impact in reducing related mortalities in India and other South Asian and African countries. 

SII's Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla and Executive Director Dr. Rajeev Dhere will also be present at the launch. The launch event will be held between 4-5 pm and will be broadcasted virtually.

According to the sources, the vaccine will be much more affordable than existing ones manufactured by two foreign companies and is India's first domestically produced Pneumonia vaccine.

Read: Serum Institute Seeks Emergency Use Nod For Covid-19 Vaccine In India, Second After Pfizer

Read: 'Protect Vaccine-makers From Lawsuits': Serum Chief Adar Poonawalla's Request To Modi Govt

SII's Covishield vaccine 

On the COVID-19 vaccine front, Serum Institute of India (SII) became the first indigenous company to seek emergency approval for the use of its COVID-19 vaccine 'Covidshield' in the country. Based on phase two and three clinical trial results, the SII with the help of the ICMR will pursue early availability of the vaccine for India. The vaccine is being jointly developed with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University. According to the ICMR, the SII has already manufactured 40 million doses of the vaccine based on the at-risk manufacturing and stockpiling license it obtained from the DCGI. News agency PTI quoted government sources saying that 'Covishield' is likely to be the first to be rolled out in India, based on whether the Oxford vaccine gets approval in the United Kingdom (UK) next week.

Read: Oxford Vaccine Has 'winning Formula', Expected To Be Approved Within Days In UK: CEO

Read: Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine May Become The First To Get DCGI Nod For Emergency Use

(With Agency Inputs)