'A new milestone has been reached', says Serum Institute as it starts production of first batch of Covavax

The vaccine developed by the American pharma is more than 90 per cent effective against coronavirus, the company has claimed.

Adar Poonawalla, the CEO Of the SII, this afternoon tweeted: "Excited to witness the first batch of Covovax (developed by @Novavax) being manufactured this week at our facility in Pune. The vaccine has great potential to protect our future generations below the age of 18. Trials are ongoing. Well done team @seruminstindia! (sic)." 

The Serum Institute of India, which is the largest vaccine producer in the world, is already manufacturing Covid-19 vaccine - Covishield.

According to NDTV, SII is likely to start Covovax trials for children next month.

India has not cleared a Covid-19 vaccine for children yet. However, clinical trials of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin have been launched for children.

Currently, India is using three vaccines - Covaxin, Covishield and Russia's Sputnik V - to inoculate the population above 18 in the country.

Covavax is likely to be launched by September though Poonawalla had earlier hoped to launch the vaccine in June.

SII has also received drug regulator DCGI's approval to analyse and then manufacture Sputnik V at its Pune plant.

Meanwhile, Novavax has said its vaccine has "demonstrated 100 per cent protection against moderate and severe disease, 90.4 per cent efficacy overall" in a study involving 29,960 participants across 119 sites in the U.S. and Mexico, said an NDTV report.

The study was focussed on evaluating the "efficacy, safety and immunogenicity" of the vaccine, it said.

It had also underscored that it intended to seek the drug regulator's approval by the third quarter of 2021.

"Today, Novavax is one step closer to addressing the critical and persistent global public health need for additional COVID-19 vaccines," said Stanley C. Erck, Novavax's president and chief executive, according to NDTV.