"How to Take Unproven Vaccines"... Conflict Over Approval of India's Domestic Vaccines

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Internal conflicts have arisen as doubts about the reliability have been raised over the Indian government's approval of the use of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine being developed in India.

According to The Times of India on the 4th, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the emergency use of the vaccine 'Covaxin' developed by the domestic company Bharat Biotech the day before. Covaxin received emergency use approval while its Phase 3 trials, which began in mid-November last year, were still ongoing. Authorities had stated in November that Covaxin was expected to be approved around February to March, but with this approval, the distribution schedule is expected to be accelerated.

The issue is that immediately after the emergency use approval, criticism has poured in mainly from industry experts and opposition parties, stating that it is difficult to accept the approval as the preventive efficacy has not been proven through evidence. Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), a vaccine manufacturer in India, said, "How can we know how the vaccine is effective before the investigation results are disclosed?" SII is the local company producing the AstraZeneca vaccine under the brand name 'Covishield' in India.

Shashi Tharoor, a prominent politician from the main opposition party Indian National Congress (INC), said, "It could be risky due to hasty approval," adding, "Use should be avoided until the trials are fully completed, and in the meantime, vaccination can start with the AstraZeneca vaccine."

In response to the controversy, Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, defended the approval process, saying that scientific procedures were properly followed and stated, "Those who politicize such an important issue should be ashamed." He also said that Covaxin is expected to have similar efficacy to other vaccines and "will respond better to variant viruses."

The Indian government is heavily promoting the emergency use approval of Covaxin. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "All Indians should be proud that two types of vaccines approved for emergency use were made in India," adding, "This shows the aspirations of our scientific community to realize the dream of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India)."

Meanwhile, India's cumulative COVID-19 confirmed cases were counted at 10,340,469 on the day, an increase of 16,504 from the previous day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.