Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla on Wednesday, 30 June, said that he is quite confident that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will approve their COVID-19 vaccine in a month’s time.
Speaking at the India Global Forum 2021, Poonawalla, according to PTI, said: "The EMA is absolutely correct in asking us to apply, which we have through AstraZeneca, our partner, a month ago, and that process has to take its time. An approval process even with UK MHRA, WHO took its time and we have applied to the EMA.”
"We are quite confident that in a month EMA will approve Covishield. There is no reason not to because it is based on AstraZeneca data and our product is identical to AstraZeneca more or less and it has been approved by WHO, UK MHRA. So it's just a matter of time. It is not really going to hinder anything.”Adar Poonawalla, as quoted by PTI
ON VACCINE PASSPORTS
Further, Poonawalla said that vaccine passports should be issued on the basis of reciprocity between countries.
"The issue with vaccine passports is slightly different. What I am trying to say is that let us take a manufacturer outside of India. Let's say they have been approved by WHO and everyone in that country gets vaccinated taking that product and now when those citizens need to travel, what good is their vaccine certificate if it is not acknowledged and reciprocity is not there between the countries.”
WHAT ELSE DID POONAWALLA SAY?
Poonawalla also, as per PTI, claimed the following on Wednesday:
Waiving off intellectual property (IP) may not solve the immediate paucity of vaccines. However, it is a good strategy in the long term, in a bid to be prepared for future pandemics.
It was difficult for SII to stop the export of Covishield, owing to prior commitments, however, they still did it amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
BACKGROUND
India has asked individual member states of the European Union to grant exemption to people who have taken Covishield and Covaxin for travel to Europe, ANI reported on Wednesday, 30 June, quoting sources.
The countries have reportedly been requested to accept vaccination certificates issued by CoWIN under the 'Green Pass' regime.
India has also said that it will institute a reciprocal policy for recognition of the European Union's 'Green Pass', wherein once Covaxin and Covishield are included in the EU Digital Certificate, citizens from EU member states will be granted exemption from mandatory quarantine.
This comes amid concern over the fact that under Europe’s new ‘vaccine passport’ scheme, travellers vaccinated with Covishield may not be eligible for hurdle-free travelling as allowed by the ‘Green Pass’, because the regime does not recognise the jab.
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