Tata in talks to launch Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in India: Report

Tata Group's healthcare venture is in talks with Moderna Inc for a partnership to launch its COVID-19 vaccine in India. Tata Medical & Diagnostics could team up with the India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to carry out clinical trials of Moderna's vaccine candidate in India.

Unlike Pfizer's vaccine, which must be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius or below, Moderna's can be stored at normal fridge temperatures, making it more suited for countries such as India where cold chains are limited.

Data released in November from Moderna's late-stage study showed it was 94.1% effective with no serious safety concerns. The shot was approved for use in the US in December and in Europe earlier this month.

India mandates that any vaccine maker must conduct an additional local study to be considered for the vaccination programme. It gave emergency-use approval to a vaccine by Bharat Biotech and state-run Indian Council of Medical Research and another licensed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca that is being produced by the Serum Institute.

India's drugs controller has said the overall efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine, locally branded COVISHIELD, was 70.42% based on trials done overseas, but the approval for Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN has faced criticism due to the lack of efficacy data.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.