Novavax's Covid Vaccine Gets Emergency Use Nod For Kids Aged 12-17 In India

The Drugs Controller General of India granted emergency use authorization to Novavax Inc's COVID-19 vaccination for youngsters aged 12 to 17 years on Tuesday.

The vaccine, which is manufactured and marketed in India by the Serum Institute of India under the brand name Covovax, has received a global first for the age range. In a late-stage experiment involving 2,247 youths aged 12 to 17, Novavax announced this month that its vaccine was 80 percent effective against COVID-19.

In a mid- to late-stage research involving 460 Indian teens, the company claimed on Tuesday that its vaccination elicited an immunological response in the same age range. After Biological E's Corbevax, Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D, and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Covovax is the fourth COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in India for adolescents aged 12 and up.

India, which had previously only vaccinated children aged 15 and over, began giving doses of Biological E's Corbevax to children aged 12 to 14 last week.

Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine was approved by the country's drug authorities in December for adults aged 18 and up.