Serum Institute applies for EU nod through drugmaker AstraZeneca

Amid concern around visits to Europe by individuals who to­ok the jab of Serum Institute of India (SII), company sources have said SII has applied for marketing auth­ori­sation before the European Medicine Age­ncy (EMA) thro­ugh British drug­maker Astra­Zeneca, its vaccine partner.

So far, 287 million Covis­hield shots, single and double, have been given in India, and the company has exported close to 70 million doses.

SII Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said on Mon­day he had taken it up at the “highest levels”. If Euro­pean Union (EU) restriction on Covishield continues, at least a few hundred million people would face challenges entering