Pfizer Discusses Expedited COVID-19 Vaccine Approval With Indian Government - CEO

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th May, 2021) Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Monday that the company has been trying to register its coronavirus vaccine in India for several months and is currently discussing with the government an expedited approval procedure in the country.

"Unfortunately, our [COVID-19] vaccine is not registered in India although our application was submitted months ago," Bourla said.

"We are currently discussing with the Indian government an expedited approval pathway to make our Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine available for use in the country."

Bourla also said that Pfizer has donated $70 million worth of medications to India, including steroids to reduce inflammation, anticoagulants to prevent blood clotting as well as antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections.

India is currently facing a surge in the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations with over 400,000 cases reported last Saturday alone.