Copyright: EPA
Experts have raised concerns over India's emergency approval of a locally-produced coronavirus vaccine before the completion of trials.
On Sunday, Delhi approved the vaccine - known as Covaxin - as well as the global AstraZeneca Oxford jab, which is also being manufactured in India.
Health watchdog All India Drug Action Network said it was "shocked" at the Covaxin decision.
It said that there were "intense concerns arising from the absence of the efficacy data" as well a lack of transparency that would "raise more questions than answers and likely will not reinforce faith in our scientific decision making bodies".
India's Drugs Controller General, VG Somani, has insisted Covaxin is "safe and provides a robust immune response".
India is gearing up to vaccinate its population of more than 1.3 billon people. Amid fears that richer countries are buying up much of the vaccine supply, India too appears to be stockpiling vaccines.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Adar Poonawalla, whose Serum Institute of India (SII) is manufacturing the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine, said the jab was given emergency authorisation on the condition that it would not be exported outside India.
Poonawalla said his company, the world's largest vaccine maker, was also not allowed to sell the shot in the private market.
This has raised concerns in India's neighbouring countries, including Nepal and Bangladesh, which are primarily depending on the SII to start vaccinating their populations.
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2021-01-04 09:11:15Z
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