Serum Institute gets nod for Phase-2 and 3 trials of Oxford's Covid vaccine

While the price of the vaccine hasn't yet been decided, the firm said it would like to keep it under Rs 1,000

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given approval to Serum Institute of India, Pune to conduct second and third phase clinical trials of the Oxford University-Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccine Covishield, a health ministry statement said. 

“This will hasten the development of the Covid-19 vaccine,” it added.

In an earlier interview with Business Standard, Serum's CEO Adar Poonawalla had said, “We have dedicated two of our facilities to produce millions of doses for Covid-19 vaccine, while withholding vast production of other products.” 

Serum Institute had studied almost 1,000 patients in the phase one trial. The next two phases will