India to Get Moderna COVID Vaccine by July 15

The Covid-19 vaccine, developed by Moderna, is expected to arrive in India this week and will be available in a few government hospitals by July 15. Last month, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Cipla, a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company, to import Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine. In India, four Covid-19 vaccines are now available with emergency use authorization.

Last month, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use authorization (EUA) without "indigenous trials."

"Moderna, the first internationally developed vaccine, has received new drug approval. This new drug approval is for limited use only," Dr. VK Paul, a member of the NITI Aayog's Health Committee, made the announcement.

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is largely viewed as one of the most effective vaccines on the market. Moderna vaccine, like Covaxin and Covishield, is fully effective after two doses and has a 94.1 percent efficacy rate. Four weeks after the first jab, the second dose is given.

Moderna chief executive officer (CEO) Stéphane Bancel in a statement said " As we seek to defeat the pandemic, we must be proactive as the virus evolves. We remain committed to studying emerging variants, generating data, and sharing it as it becomes available. These new data are encouraging and reinforce our belief that the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine should remain protective against newly detected variants."

The cost of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which will be imported by Cipla, an Indian pharmaceutical company, has yet to be determined. According to media reports, the Moderna vaccine will be available at a higher price in private hospitals and centers than other vaccines.