Covaxin has a shelf life of 12 months, while Covishield, the vaccine that accounted for nearly 80% of India's vaccinations, has a shelf life of nine months
Media reports cite quality issues; sources say Bharat Biotech had stopped production and exports in April, any pending orders stand cancelled
The phase-3 trial for Covaxin was done in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and BBIL
WHO in November last year issued an emergency use listing (EUL) for COVAXIN, adding to a growing portfolio of vaccines validated for the prevention of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2
"We're extremely pleased that we can proceed with our clinical trials for Covaxin our whole virus inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate," Dr Shankar Musunuri, CEO and Co-Founder, Ocugen Inc said
CEPI has till date announced funding for nine such projects including the Bharat Biotech one
A senior government official had told Business Standard last week that so far there was no scientific evidence to expand the vaccination programme to young children
Weeks after WHO suspended the supply of Covaxin through UN procurement agencies, the MEA suggested that Bharat Biotech addresses the issue immediately to avoid the cancellation
DCGI has granted emergency use authorisation for Biological E's Covid-19 vaccine Corbevax and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin
This development comes after the Subject Expert Committee discussed recommendations for the restricted emergency of Covaxin in children aged between 2-12 years
Covaxin has EUA in Mexico for use in adults; data submitted for EUA for children aged 2-18 years
WHO had earlier suspended the supply of Covaxin through US procurement agencies, after its inspectors identified GMP (good manufacturing practice) deficiencies in the Bharat Biotech's plants
Vaccine majors SII and Bharat Biotech said they have decided to cut prices of precaution dose of their respective Covid-19 vaccines to Rs 225 per shot for private hospitals after discussion with govt
SII and Bharat Biotech have been major suppliers of Covid-19 vaccines to the government so far
Various countries including Australia, have recognised Covaxin for facilitating travel
A recent ICMR study has shown that breakthrough cases after full vaccination with Covaxin have shown a significant increase in the immune response against coronavirus' variants of concern
Vaccination programme cannot lose govt attention
Bharat Biotech also said the WHO announcement will not impact the Ocugen trials
Bharat biotech says there are no issues with Covaxin or its certification, further we will focus on pending facility maintenance, has no supply commitments pending for UN agency.
The vaccine manufacturer has said that the company is slowing down the production of Covaxin for facility optimization.