We will not get booster dose yet: Coveshield booster dose demand rejected, expert committee asked for clinical trial data

The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) said that the booster dose of Corona cannot be approved without clinical trials. The SEC said this while reviewing the application of Serum Institute (SII) on Friday. The panel has sought additional data from the Serum Institute, after which the panel will hold a second meeting.

Serum Institute had cited the demand for booster shot
After the new variant of Corona came to the fore, SII had sought permission to use its vaccine Coveshield as a booster dose. SII had told that they have enough stock of vaccine and the demand for booster shot is increasing.

While submitting the application to the SEC, Prakash Kumar Singh, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, said that Britain has approved the booster dose of AstraZeneca. While filing an application before the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI), he had said that people from India and other countries who have received two doses of Coveshield are appealing to his company to prepare a booster dose.

The result did not come out in the meeting of the Technical Advisory Group
The country’s National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) held a virtual meeting regarding the booster dose of Corona in the country, but it did not yield any result. India’s SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said that they have not yet approved the booster dose.

Why is a booster dose necessary?
Dr. Satyendra Singh, former HOD Professor, Department of Micro Virology, Patna Medical College and Hospital, said that those who have completed 6 to 9 months of taking the second dose should be given a booster dose. Because antibodies are on the fall in 6 to 9 months. This is the reason that the influenza vaccine that we take is also given in a year.

Why the discussion of booster dose?
People who were fully vaccinated have also been infected with the Omicron variant. Omicron is believed to be more contagious than Delta, meaning it is spreading more rapidly. Because of this, the discussion of booster dose has started. Studies have revealed that the effectiveness of the vaccine also decreases over time on different variants of the corona. There is no study yet on how effective the vaccine is on Omicron. If the effectiveness of the vaccine is low, then a booster dose will have to be given.