DGCI approves Covid-19 vaccine Covovax as heterologous booster dose

India’s drug regulator on Monday approved Covid-19 vaccine Covovax as a heterologous booster dose for adults who have been administered with either two doses of Covishield or Covaxin, people in the know told ET.

The Subject Expert Committee of the CDSCO deliberated on the issue and recommended for market authorisation of Covid jab Covovax as a heterologous booster dose,” a person told ET.

Prakash Kumar Singh, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Serum Institute of India (SII), had earlier written to the DCGI for the approval of Covovax heterologous booster dose for those aged 18 years.

The DCGI approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations in adults in December in the 12-17 age group on March 9, 2022, and in children aged 7-11 years on June 28 last year subject to certain conditions.

Covovax is manufactured through technology transfer from Novavax. It has been approved by the European Medicines Agency for conditional marketing authorisation. It was granted an emergency-use listing by the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 17, 2021.