NEW DELHI, April 16 -- India agreed to fast-track vaccine approvals that have already been authorized by one of four foreign drug regulators or the World Health Organization (WHO), clearing the way for the use of Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson shots amid a wrenching surge in infections and deaths.
Vaccines approved by drug regulators in the US, UK, European Union and Japan or those that have been cleared by the WHO will be eligible for use in India without having to conduct a local bridging trial, a Union health ministry statement said on 12 April.
The move comes at a time when India is facing an acute shortage of vaccines as both Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech International struggle to scale up production of Covishield and C...