Bharat BioTech, a Hyderabad-based company, is commencing clinical trials for COVAXIN, India's first COVID-19 vaccine. The initial phase will involve 375 participants, with plans to expand to over 1,100 individuals in Phase 1 and 2 trials. This vaccine was developed in collaboration with the National Institute of Virology in Pune, utilizing an isolated strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The ICMR Director, Dr. Balram Bhargava, had previously communicated to 12 trial sites the urgency to complete all clinical trials by August 15. However, this aggressive timeline has been met with skepticism from experts, who caution that fast-tracking vaccine trials within four weeks could introduce significant health risks. The Indian Academy of Sciences, a Bengaluru-based scientific body, expressed concerns that the announced timeline is "infeasible" and "unrealistic."
Other Vaccine Candidates
In addition to COVAXIN, Zydus Pharma and BioNTech (in collaboration with Pfizer) have also announced their own vaccine candidates, which have received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). This brings the total number of companies in India working on potential coronavirus vaccines to six.
COVID-19 Situation in India
India has surpassed Russia in the number of COVID-19 cases, ranking third globally with over 11.6 million infections and a death toll exceeding 537,000.
