Human clinical trials of Covaxin, India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, have begun. Bharat Biotech is developing and manufacturing the vaccine. On Thursday, at SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre in Chennai, the trials began.
The human trial commencement was confirmed by the principal investigator for the clinical trials at the hospital, Dr. Satyajit Mohapatra. NIV and the ICMR, in collaboration with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, developed the vaccine.
SRM is one of the 12 institutions chosen by the Indian Council of Medical Research to conduct vaccine trials. From July 2020, across India, the trials will start. DCGI approval has been received for the vaccine’s phase-1 and 2 human clinical trials, said Bharat Biotech on its website.
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ICMR instituted institutions to fast track all clinical trial approvals and ensure that the subject enrolment was initiated no later than July 7.
By August 15, we want to launch the vaccine for public use, wrote ICMR, in a letter to the institutions, earlier this month.
SRM Research Centre was earlier involved in clinical trials for the Rotavirus vaccine and Pentavalent vaccine.
Rotavirus vaccine is administered for protection against rotavirus infections which causes severe diarrhea.
Pentavalent vaccine is administered to protect children from five diseases including hepatitis B and diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus.
Pune, ICMR-National Institute of Virology developed Covaxin, a vaccine against Covid-19, which is derived from an isolated strain of SARS-CoV-2.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said India’s COVID-19 tally reached 12,38,635, as of Thursday morning.
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