Covaxin, India’s first-ever coronavirus vaccine gets the nod from the Drug Controller General of India, to conduct phase 1 and phase two of clinical trials. This was developed by Bharat Biotech and was developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). The clinical human trials are scheduled to begin in July.
While major pharmaceutical companies have been in contention for the development of a vaccine, Bharat Biotech’s vaccine has demonstrated extensive safety and effective immune responses. As treatment drugs like the Remdesivir and various others have been sanctioned for approval, this is the first vaccine that has been developed.
In May, the DCGI released a statement saying that more than thirty groups have been working on a vaccine. Notably, this was said to be developed in the shortest span of time as compared to any others, since this research which usually takes years and millions of dollars, and has been condensed into a 12-month span due to the urgency of the situation.
Meanwhile, the global pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s vaccine has had the maximum response and reception so far. Since its announcement, the company’s formulation has been signed for delivery by the European Union as well as Brazil. China has also rolled out permissions to conduct clinical trials for a vaccine that was produced by CanSino Biologics.
The pandemic has already claimed over five lakh victims worldwide, including 16,475 in India. There are over 1.01 crore confirmed cases, including nearly 5.5 lakh in India – the fourth worst-affected country.