Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla
New Delhi: The CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), Adar Poonawalla, said on Thursday that SII will launch an Omicron-specific vaccine for COVID-19 six months from now, PTI reported.
He informed that there is good data available on the Covovax vaccine.
He said, "The original Novovax vaccine Covovax covers omicron, and there is good data for it. We will try to launch an Omicron-specific vaccine after six months."
The SII, based in Pune, is working with the US biotechnology giant Novavax to develop the Omicron-specific vaccine.
The World Health Organisation has declared the Omicron sub-variant of COVID-19 as a variant of concern after its speedy transmission.
SII's Covavax vaccine is available for those above the age of 12 in India.
On monkeypox, Mr Poonawalla said the need for a vaccine is "debatable".
"Yes, it created a little bit of buzz when we saw the cases here. We are conducting research on the topic and can collaborate with the Department of Biotechnology on it too. Our research is going on, and we will see in six months," he said.