Hyderabad based-Biological E Ltd (BE)’s recently approved heterologous Covid-19 vaccine Corbevax is expected to be available as a booster dose on the COWIN App in both public and private vaccination centres from 12 August, the firm said on 11 August.
The Union Health Ministry approved Corbevax as India’s first heterologous COVID-19 booster shot for 18 years and above after the six months of administration of the primary vaccination doses of Covaxin or Covishield. All the people – taken Covaxin or Covishield – can be administrated a Corbevax booster shot in “emergency use authorisation”
Following COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) recommendation, the ministry approved Corbevax for emergency use.
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“This approval came after the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the vaccine for emergency use as a heterologous COVID-19 booster dose for individuals aged 18 years on June 4, 2022,” an official statement from the BE said.
Apart from this, the Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company said that the Corbevax had received emergency use authorization as a primary two-dose vaccination regimen in adults, adolescents and children aged 5 years and above, in a series of approvals from December’21 to April’22.
“Pan-India roll-out of the booster shot vaccine in children aged between 12 to 14 years was initiated on March 16, 2022 and till now almost 7 crore doses have been administered and 2.9 crore children completed their two-dose vaccination regimen,” it said.
The Corbevax manufacturer claims its vaccine has undergone comprehensive booster trials on Indian subjects and subsequently received approval from the Indian regulatory authority.
The Corbevax uses a traditional recombinant protein-based technology, which is also used for vaccines such as Hepatitis B.
“Corbevax has become the first vaccine in India to be approved as a heterologous COVID-19 booster. The approval by the Ministry of Health today is another important step in combating the pandemic. We are very pleased with this endorsement, which recognizes the safety and efficacy of our vaccine,” Biological E. Limited’s MD Mahima Datla said.
The price of Corbevax for private COVID-19 vaccination centres is ₹250, inclusive of the Goods and Sales tax. While, for the end-user, the price of the vaccine is ₹400, including taxes and administrative charges.
With PTI/ANI inputs.
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