We will not get booster dose yet: Coveshield booster dose demand rejected, expert committee asked for clinical trial data

The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) said that the booster dose of Corona cannot be approved without clinical trials. The SEC said this while reviewing the application of Serum Institute (SII) on Friday. The panel has sought additional data from the Serum Institute, after which the panel will hold a second meeting.

After the new variant of Corona came to the fore, SII had sought permission to use its vaccine Coveshield as a booster dose. SII had told that they have enough stock of vaccine and the demand for booster shot is increasing.

While submitting the application to the SEC, Prakash Kumar Singh, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, said that Britain has approved the booster dose of AstraZeneca. While filing an application before the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI), he had said that people from India and other countries who have received two doses of Coveshield are appealing to his company to prepare a booster dose.

The country's National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) held a virtual meeting regarding the booster dose of Corona in the country, but it did not yield any result. India's SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said that they have not yet approved the booster dose.