Serum Institute of India’s (SII) trial for ‘Covishield’ vaccine developed by the University of Oxford started on Tuesday, with the first patients screened by Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University (BVDU) Medical College and Hospital in Pune.
SII has partnered with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca for manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine candidate, developed by the University of Oxford.
Meanwhile, SII tecently issued a statement clarifying that all claims surrounding the availability of its COVID-19 vaccine, COVISHIELD, in 73 days are false.
“Presently, the government has granted us permission to only manufacture the vaccine and stockpile it for future use,” SII said in a statement they posted on Facebook, adding that COVISHIELD will be commercialised only after trials are proven successful and after all the requisite regulatory approvals are in place.