India committee approves Merck’s Covid-19 for emergency usage

India – According to reports, an expert committee of India’s pharma authority approved emergency use authorization (EUA) for Merck’s Covid-19 pill molnupiravir, as well as the Covovax and corbevax vaccines from Serum Institute of India and Biological E, among other products.

According to a report published today, the recommendations of the topic expert group have been sent to the Drugs Controller General of India, who will make a decision on whether or not to approve them in the near future.

Data submitted for Covovax, the Indian version of Novavax Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine, was deemed adequate in the study, according to the authors of the document.

In response to a request for comment, India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, which regulates cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, did not immediately respond. 

India is attempting to increase oxygen supply and boost health-care infrastructure in order to prevent a probable spike in Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant from occurring.

Over the course of the year, the government has delivered 1.43 billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, with more than 839 million of all adults having received at least one dose.

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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved molnupiravir for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus infection in adults last week.

Merck inked non-exclusive voluntary license agreements with Indian drugmakers Aurobindo Pharma, Cipla, Sun Pharmaceuticals, and others earlier this year to manufacture and distribute molnupiravir in India.

The nation intends to begin providing Covid-19 booster doses to healthcare and frontline workers on January 10 as a preventive measure, and to begin vaccinating individuals aged 15-18 on January 3 as well.

Medical experts have stated that India needs to step up its vaccination programs, and some states have implemented night curfews and other restrictions as a precaution in the run-up to the New Year’s celebrations to prevent a spike in infections and a repeat of the devastating second wave of infections that killed tens of thousands in the summer of 2021 in the Indian subcontinent.