Indian multinational conglomerate Tata Group`s healthcare venture has reportedly started initial discussions with Moderna Inc for a partnership to launch its COVID-19 vaccine in India. The venture, `Tata Medical Diagnostics,` would team up with the India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, to carry out clinical trials of Moderna's vaccine candidate in India. Moderna`s vaccine can be stored at normal fridge temperatures, making it more suitable for poorer countries such as India where cold chains are limited. Data released in November 2020 from Moderna`s late-stage study showed it was 94.1% effective with no serious safety concerns. The shot was approved for use in the United States in December 2020 and in Europe in early January 2021. India mandates that any vaccine maker must conduct an additional local study if it has to be approved for India`s vaccination program which is the biggest in the world. India has given emergency-use approval to a vaccine by Bharat Biotech and state-run Indian Council of Medical Research and another licensed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca that is being produced by the Serum Institute of India. India has the world`s second-highest COVID-19 caseload after the United States, but daily cases have been declining since hitting a peak in September 2020.
Indian multinational conglomerate Tata Group`s healthcare venture has reportedly started initial discussions with Moderna Inc for a partnership to launch its COVID-19 vaccine in India. The venture, `Tata Medical Diagnostics,` would team up with the India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, to carry out clinical trials of Moderna's vaccine candidate in India. Moderna`s vaccine can be stored at normal fridge temperatures, making it more suitable for poorer countries such as India where cold chains are limited. Data released in November 2020 from Moderna`s late-stage study showed it was 94.1% effective with no serious safety concerns. The shot was approved for use in the United States in December 2020 and in Europe in early January 2021. India mandates that any vaccine maker must conduct an additional local study if it has to be approved for India`s vaccination program which is the biggest in the world. India has given emergency-use approval to a vaccine by Bharat Biotech and state-run Indian Council of Medical Research and another licensed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca that is being produced by the Serum Institute of India. India has the world`s second-highest COVID-19 caseload after the United States, but daily cases have been declining since hitting a peak in September 2020.
