COVID-19: Bharat Biotech Enrolls 25,800 Volunteers For Covaxin Phase-3 Clinical Trials

Hyderabad: The Bharat Biotech International Limited on Thursday (January 7) announced the successful completion of volunteer enrolment for phase-3 clinical trials of its indigenously manufactured COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin.’ “Covaxin successfully completes phase 3 clinical trials enrolment of 25,800 volunteers,” Suchitra Ella, Joint Managing Director of Bharat Biotech in a statement while expressing gratitude towards principal investigators and healthcare workers for their support in their public-private partnership vaccine programme. “My deep appreciation to all the volunteers for reposing trust and expressing pro-vaccine public health volunteerism in the phase-3 clinical trials of India’s 1st fully indigenous COVID-19 vaccine,” Ms Ella added.

Also Read: India’s COVID Vaccination Programme Explained: Who Will Get It First, What Is The Process And Other Things You Need To Know

The indigenous vaccine has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Institute of Virology (NIV). COVAXIN has been evaluated in approximately 1,000 subjects in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials, with promising safety and immunogenicity results, with acceptance in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, the company had said in a statement. COVAXIN is a highly purified and inactivated 2 dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, manufactured in a Vero cell manufacturing platform with an excellent safety track record of more than 300 million doses, it had added.

COVID-19 vaccines of Serum Institute of India’s ‘Covishield’ and Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaxin’ were granted permission for restricted use in an emergency situation by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on January 3. Earlier in the day, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the COVID-19 vaccines ‘Covishield’ and ‘Covaxin’ are on the verge of being available in the country. The Health Minister, while addressing a press conference, said,

COVID-19 vaccines ‘Covishield’ and ‘Covaxin’ are on the verge of being available in the country. Our efforts are to ensure seamless last mile delivery of the vaccine.

Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak Explained: Everything You Should Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Dry Runs

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.