India’s first Coronavirus vaccine, COVAXIN, undergoes human trials: Here are the updates

With the coronavirus case tally crossing 11.5 lakh mark today, the scramblefor Covid-19 vaccine has accelerated in India. India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin has started human trials.

In phase I, the vaccine would be tested on 375 volunteers. India is one of the largest vaccine producers in the world and scientists are hoping to develop a coronavirus vaccine within months because of the pandemic.

Covaxin, which has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and NIV, Pune, will be tested on more than 1,100 people in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.

Here are the major updates that we know about India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate so far:

• India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin initiated phase-1 clinical trials across the country on 15 July 2020.
• Human trials of India’s first vaccine candidate against coronavirus – Covaxin, began at Post-Graduate Institute (PGI) of Medical Sciences in Rohtak on Friday. Three volunteers were administered Covaxin.
• AIIMS Patna was the first institute to start the trial on Wednesday. AIIMS-Patna chose 10 volunteers to start the human trial of Covaxin. After two weeks, if the vaccine is found to be safe it will be given to more people, the sources said.
• Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that the human trials of coronavirus vaccine have begun at the state’s Redkar Hospital and congratulated the team behind it.
• Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, on Monday said that human trial of India’s first indigenously developed coronavirus vaccine has begun at the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences
• Human clinical trials of BBV152 COVID Vaccine or Covaxin will begin tomorrow in a special laboratory set up at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM (IMS & SUM) Hospital in Bhubaneswar.
• There are 12 places where the trial for Covaxin will take place as per the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).
• Bharat Biotech has successfully developed Covaxin, India’s first vaccine candidate for COVID-19, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Institute of Virology.
• The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had permitted two vaccines — one developed by the Bharat Biotech International Limited and another one by ZydusCadila Healthcare Ltd to go in for the first and second phase of human clinical trials.
• Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute, Zydus Cadila, Panacea Biotec, Indian Immunologicals, Mynvax and Biological E are among the seven domestic pharma firms working on the coronavirus vaccines in India.

COVAXIN expected to be released by August 15:

It is pertinent to note that this is the same coronavirus vaccine that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body for the medical research in the country, had announced earlier of being released for the public use by August 15. However, it is not yet clear whether the vaccines will be ready by then.