Vaccine Update: Bharat Biotech Begins Phase 3 Trials Of Covaxin; Here Are the Latest Updates

Hyderabad-based company Bharat Biotech International has begun phase 3 trials for the vaccine candidate Covaxin.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: As the worldwide Covid-19 cases continue to rise, vaccine development is going on full force. America’s Moderna claims that its vaccine candidate 94.5 percent effective. Meanwhile, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International is moving on to Phase 3 of its clinical trials. Here are the updates on different vaccines: • COVAXIN which was developed by a Hyderabad-based company Bharat Biotech International in collaboration with ICMR and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has started Phase 3 of its clinical trials. This will be the first Phase 3 trial for the country and with 26,000 volunteers it will also be the largest trial in the country Bharat Biotech International conduct this trial in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The trial is double-blinded, such that the investigators, the participants, and the company will not be aware of who is assigned to which group. Suchitra Ella, Joint Managing Director of Bharat Biotech told the New Indian Express that COVAXIN is a two-dose vaccine, making logistics worrisome so to avert this Bharat Biotech is also working on a single-dose vaccine which would work as a nasal drop. He told New Indian Express that one nasal dose will need two drops but will work in a single dose. • Moderna Inc which is a US-based Biotechnology company said that its vaccine mRNA-1273 is 94.5 percent but to store it requires a cold environment. According to a Bloomberg Quint report, Moderna said on Monday that new data showed its vaccine is stable at refrigerator temperatures for 30 days, much longer than the previous estimate of seven days. For longer-term storage, it can be kept in freezers which could pose a hurdle for India. Meanwhile, Pfizer announced its candidate was 90% effective, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director, Dr. Randeep Guleria had said, “Pfizer vaccine has to be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius which is a challenge for developing countries like India” according to an HT report. • Johnson and Johnson also a US-based biotechnology firm has begun another Phase 3 trial named ENSEMBLE 2 in collaboration with the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This will be a 2-dose regime, while the first ENSEMBLE trial of a 1 dose regime is underway. According to a media report, the trial will enroll up to 30,000 participants in the UK, the US, France, Germany, South Africa, Spain, Belgium, Colombia, and the Philippines areas with COVID-19 incidences. •  Serum Institute of India (SII) Earlier this month, SII and ICMR announced the completion of the enrolment process of 1,600 participants in the phase-3 clinical trials for Covishield in the country. CEO of the Pune-based SII Adar Poonawalla told India Today, "We are at the last mile. All 1,600 volunteers have been administered with required doses of the Covishield vaccine. They are under observation for the next 28 days.” Covishield was developed by the University of Oxford in the UK along with AstraZeneca is also being tested in large efficacy trials in the UK, Brazil, South Africa, and the USA.