Shelf Life of Covid-19 Vaccine Covishield Extended to 9 Months

As per a document reviewed by news agencies, the drug regulator in India has allowed Covid-19 vaccine Covishield to be used for up to 9 months from its date of manufacture. It must be noted that in a statement last week, AstraZeneca has stated that its product could be stored, transported as well as handled at normal refrigerated conditions for a minimum of 6 months. According to the website of the World Health Organization as well, the shelf life of Covishield as well as the South Korean-made AstraZeneca shot as six months.

The approval granted to Covishield, a licensed Indian version of the Covid-19 vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India (SII) will help health authorities reduce vaccine wastage as well as plan inoculation programmes in a better way.

Replying to a request from the Serum Institute of India, V.G. Somani, Drugs Controller General of India stated that permission to apply 9 months shelf life to unlabelled vials available on hand is being granted.

Approval by Mr. Somani has been reviewed and communicated to some African countries. However, whether the recommendation could be applied to unused coronavirus vaccine vials could be applied or not is still not known. It must be noted that each vial typically comprises 10 doses or five millilitre of vaccine.

As per a source, the approval was granted on the basis of data submitted by the Serum Institute of India.

Currently, about 55 million doses of Covishield, the novel coronavirus vaccine by Serum Institute have been administered in India. Nearly 64 million doses have been exported. At present, Covaxin, a vaccine developed domestically by Bharat Biotech is also being used, while Sputnik V is expected to mark its entry soon.