Covaxin gets DCGI nod for 6-12 age group, Corbevax for 5-12 year olds

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Tuesday granted regulatory approvals to three Covid-19 vaccines, health ministry sources confirmed. The Indian drug regulator has granted an emergency use authorisation (EUA) to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for the age group of 6-12 years and to Biological E’s Corbevax for the age group 5-12, sources said.

On Tuesday, Gujarat-based Zydus Cadila’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine was also granted emergency use authorisation for the 12 years and above population. At present, the three-dose version of the Zydus Cadila’s DNA vaccine is being used in the national immunization drive for the adult population. It is the first Covid-19 vaccine in the world that is built on a DNA platform and has been approved for commercial use.

With Tuesday’s decision, India will have an approved Covid-19 vaccine for 5 years and above. However, the final decision will be taken by the government’s expert body on vaccination to roll out the vaccination drive for this population. At present, India is using Corbevax for the 12-14 years age group and Covaxin for the adolescent population. Currently, US and UK are administering Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine for 5 years and above.

On December 25, less than a year after India rolled out one of the world’s largest adult Covid-19 vaccination drives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced vaccination for children in the age group of 15-18 years. The decision came in the backdrop of rising cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant across various pockets in the country, and schools and colleges re-opening in a phased manner.

From March 27, kids in the 12-14 age bracket were able to get their Covid-19 vaccines as the Centre decided to expand its inoculation drive.


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