Bharat Biotech begins third phase of human trials for Covaxin

On the spectrum of good news, Bharat Biotech has announced that it has begun the third phase of the trials of its vaccine for COVID-19.

As per reports, the phase-3 clinical trials is touted to have 26,000 participants across 22 sites in the country. Moreover, it is to be conducted in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Covaxin, the largest clinical trial that is being conducted for the coronavirus in India, has been registered with the clinical trials registry of India and approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

Earlier on June 29, the Hyderabad-based firm had announced that the Drug Controller General of India (DGI) gave the green light for phase-1 and phase-2 human clinical trials of the indigenously developed drug. The company had submitted results generated from pre-clinical (animal) studies to get approval to conduct human clinical trials. These trials are meant to demonstrate safety and immune responses.

The SARS-CoV-2 strain was isolated at National Institute of Virology (Pune), an institute under the ICMR, and was transferred to Bharat Biotech. The company has a biosafety level-3 plant in the city of Hyderabad. These type of plants are conducive for work involving microbes, which could cause serious and potentially lethal diseases, through the inhalation route. 

In other news, US biotech firm Moderna earlier on Monday stated its experimental vaccine against the coronavirus was 94.5 per cent effective. Moderna released early results from a clinical trial with more than 30,000 participants, after the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech last week said their vaccine was 90 per cent effective.

Meanwhile, on Monday, November 16, India recorded 29,164 fresh cases of the coronavirus taking the COVID-19 tally in the country to 88.74 lakh. This includes 4,53,401 active cases of the coronavirus, 82,90,371 patients who have recovered from the disease and 1,30,519 deaths.