New Delhi: In its march towards developing a safe coronavirus vaccine India is sure leaving no stone unturned. The two indigenous vaccine candidates — Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and ZyCOV-D by Zydus Cadila — have almost finished the phase II clinical trials. There have been talks of ’emergency authorisation’ of India’s COVID-19 vaccine candidates by the ICMR as the nation waits with bated breath for an effective vaccine.
Wednesday, a top ICMR official told a parliamentary panel that phase-two clinical trials of the homegrown COVID-19 vaccines candidates are nearing completion and emergency authorisation of a vaccine could be a possibility considering the situation if the Centre decides so, according to a report in PTI.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava informed members of the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs that the vaccine candidates developed by Bharat Biotech, Cadila and the Serum Institute of India are at different stages of trial, said an MP present in the meeting, PTI reported.
Answering the key query on when India will have a COVID-19 vaccine, the MP quoted Bhargava saying that normally the final trial takes about six to nine months but if the government decides, an emergency authorisation could be considered, according news agency PTI.
The COVID-19 vaccine candidates selected by Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila are almost done with phase II trials, the official said. Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India is all set to start the phase II trial of COVID-19 vaccine developed by University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. British Swedish firm has partnered with SII to manufacture Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for India and other low and middle income countries.
“I want to tell people, the talent of our scientists is like that of ‘rishi munis’ and they are working very hard in laboratories. Three vaccines are in various stages of testing. When scientists will give us the green signal, it will be produced on a mass scale and all preparations have been made for it,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while addressing the nation on Independence Day.
Earlier after the maiden meeting of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19, a NITI Aayog panel, the Union health ministry said India will leverage domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity, besides engaging with all international manufacturers for early delivery of vaccines not only for domestic use but also for neighbouring nations and low to middle income group countries across the globe.
The meeting was chaired by Dr V.K. Paul, member of NITI Aayog, with Rajesh Bhushan, secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, as the co-chairperson.
PNN