Serum Institute's Covovax approved for use in 12-17 age group: Report

The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) has approved the Serum Institute of India's Covic-19 vaccine Covovax for use in children aged between 12 to 17, reported news agency ANI on Friday. 

India's drug regulator had approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations in adults on 28 December last year and in the 12-17 age group, subject to certain conditions, on 9 March.

Earlier this month, SII CEO Adar Poonawalla had said: "Covovax will be used for children. It has been approved by DCGI and we're waiting for the Government of India to allow us to put it on the CoWIN app to make it available to everyone."

SII is developing Covovax through a technology transfer protocol from Novavax, which already has approval from the European medicines agency for conditional marketing authorisation.

India began inoculating children aged 12-14 on 16 March. Biological E's Corbevax is being used to inoculate them. Covaxin was granted emergency use listing (EUL) by the DCGI for the age group of 12 to 18 years on 24 December last year. It is being given to teenagers between 15-18 years of age.