Moderna Covid-19 vaccines may reach India soon

Moderna’s Covid-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine may reach India this week, news agency ANI reported on Monday citing sources.

According to reports, health officials expect Moderna vaccines to reach hospitals by July 15 for administration.

Last week, the Drugs controller general of India had allowed pharma major Cipla to import Moderna’s Covid Vaccine for restricted emergency use in the country.”This permission is for restricted use in emergency situations in the public interest. The firm has to submit 7 days’ safety assessment of the vaccine in the first 100 beneficiaries before rolling out of the vaccine for further immunization programme”, according to the approval order.

Moderna’s vaccine is the fourth COVID-19 jab to be available in India after Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik.

Moderna is reportedly found 90 per cent effective against Covid.

Like Pfizer, Moderna is an mRNA vaccine that has fragments of the genetic material known as messenger RNA, a NDTV report said.

According to the report, the vaccine works by giving cells temporary instructions to make the coronavirus spike protein. The protein is found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has also announced that their launch in India is imminent that the company’s vaccine may soon be available in India as the process of its approval is in the “final stages”.