India expediting review of vaccines

Keen to accelerate vaccine drug development and approvals in India, an expert committee of India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) met recently to review the research efforts of pharmaceutical companies.

Among the proposals reviewed were those from the Indian subsidiaries of Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD in India, Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) and GSK (LSE: GSK), as well as local drugmakers Biological E Limited and Serum Institute of India, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

The Indian vaccine industry has been instrumental in facilitating cost-effective vaccination in India and also supplying vaccines to a majority of countries across the globe. While 2021 saw several vaccine and drug approvals in India, due in part to accelerated regulatory processes in response to the pandemic, the authorities have indicated their eagerness to increase biopharma innovation.