Serum Institute of India (SII) said it will apply for licence from Indian regulator to start clinical trials of the shot in a week's time.

New Delhi: With the trials of Covid-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University showing encouraging results, Serum Institute of India (SII) said it will apply for licence from the Indian regulator to start clinical trials of the shot in a week's time.

SII, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, has been chosen by Oxford and its partner AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine once it gets ready.

Covid-19 vaccine Earlier, Pune-based SII had said that it will start manufacturing the vaccine even before the final nod.

"The trials have shown promising results and we are extremely happy about it. We will be applying for the licensure trials to the Indian regulator in a week's time. As soon as they grant us permission, we will begin with the trials for the vaccine in India. In addition, we will soon start manufacturing the vaccine in large volumes," SII Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said.

Covid-19 vaccine Earlier this month, Poonawalla had said that the SII was hoping to develop a Covid-19 vaccine by year-end as it was focusing on a "good and safe" product and is not in a "rush".

The Phase I/II data for our coronavirus vaccine shows that the vaccine did not lead to any unexpected reactions and had a similar safety profile to previous vaccines of this type.