Covaxin, India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, has demonstrated interim clinical efficacy of 81% in phase three results, Bharat Biotech announced on Wednesday. Made together with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Pune’s National Institute of Virology, the vaccine is an inactivated vaccine developed from an Indian strain of the novel coronavirus isolated by NIV.
“Today is an important milestone in vaccine discovery, for science and our fight against coronavirus. With today’s results from our Phase 3 clinical trials, we have now reported data on our Covid-19 vaccine from Phase 1, 2, and 3 trials involving around 27,000 participants. COVAXIN® demonstrates high clinical efficacy trend against coronavirus but also significant immunogenicity against the rapidly emerging variants,” said Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech.
“Covaxin demonstrated 81% interim efficacy in preventing Covid-19 in those without prior infection after the second dose,” the company statement read.
Reacting to the development, ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava said, “The bench-to-bedside journey of completely indigenous Covid-19 vaccine in less than 8 months’ time showcases the immense strength of Atmanirbhar Bharat to fight the odds and stand tall in the global public health community.”
According to sources, some of the European countries have shown interest in the vaccine. Earlier this week, French Ambassador visited the Bharat Biotech facility in Hyderabad. While it was said to be a courtesy visit, speculations are rife that at a time when EU countries are jostling to secure enough vaccines to cover entire population, Bharat Biotech, with phase 3 data, may be a vaccine of choice for some countries.
Last week Brazil signed an agreement with the Hyderabad-based company for the supply of 20 million doses of Covaxin vaccine. “The company is delighted to partner with Brazil in its battle against Covid-19 and aid its immunization program against the virus. It has signed an agreement for delivery of COVAXIN during Q2 (April to June) and Q3 (July to September) (of) 2021,” the company said in a statement.
It added, “There is a strong interest in Covaxin from many countries around the world, and the company is fully committed to ensuring supplies promptly and efficiently.”
The Covaxin is the first Covid-19 vaccine that has been developed completely in India. In March 2020, ICMR had entered into a public-private partnership with BBIL to develop the virus isolate into an effective vaccine candidate.
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