After contributing to the mass
vaccination drive in India with its Covishield vaccine, Serum Institute of
India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, is looking forward to launching Covovax, its second vaccine against coronavirus, developed in partnership with American vaccine developer Novavax, by June 2021, CEO Adar Poonawalla said.

The Pune-based institute is
already applied for trials in India, Poonawalla wrote in his tweet.

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“Our partnership for a
COVID-19 vaccine with @Novavax has also published excellent efficacy results.
We have also applied to start trials in India. Hope to launch #COVOVAX by June
2021!,” Adar Poonawalla tweeted this afternoon.

Poonawalla said earlier this month that SII would develop more than 40-40 million doses per month of the Novavax vaccine, starting from April. Novavax vaccine showed an efficacy of 95.6% against the original coronavirus strain, and 85.6% against the latest UK mutant strain. A trial conducted in South Africa showed less efficacy.

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India began its mass
inoculation drive in January, 2021, administering two vaccines, SII’s
Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, in a phased manner.

The Centre has already
purchased 11 million doses of Covishield, co-developed by Oxford University and
British-Swedish company AstraZeneca.

India has vaccinated 30 lakh
people, running the fastest vaccination drive in the world.