Told India No Safety Concerns With Covid Vaccine, Says Pfizer

Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna have been invited to sell their vaccines to India but none have applied to do so yet.

Pfizer said on Monday it told the Indian government that there was no concern over the safety of its COVID-19 vaccine, as India insists on small local trials for foreign shots despite a record surge in infections and shortage of doses. The government in mid-April made it easier for foreign vaccines approved in the West and Japan to sell in India, though companies would still have to initiate a local clinical trial within 30 days of receiving emergency use authorization. Previously, companies were required to do the trial prior to approval. Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna have been invited to sell their vaccines to India but none have applied to do so yet. Pfizer, however, said it is holding fresh talks with the government after having withdrawn its initial application in February over the earlier local trial rule.