COVID-19: Human clinical trials for India's vaccine to begin in July 2020

India developed its first indigenous vaccine against COVID-19. India announced that Covaxin will begin human clinical trials soon.

What does it mean?

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV) has developed the first India-made vaccine for coronavirus.

It has gotten the approval from the Drug Controller General of India to hold Phase 1 and 2 of human clinical trials after preclinical studies have been successful in demonstrating safety and immune response, it said in a statement last Monday (29 June).

Human clinical trials are scheduled to start across India in July 2020.

What should we expect?

Since the start of the pandemic, scientists and researchers have been racing to find a vaccine against the deadly virus with more than 100 vaccines programmes being developed.

India is known as one of the leading drugs manufactures across the world. It has contributed vaccine for diseases and viruses such as polio, meningitis, pneumonia, measles, and many others.

It was reported that, at least five other companies in the country are working on the vaccine for coronavirus.

Report from BBC revealed that besides Bharat Biotech, pharmaceutical company, Zydus Cadilla is working on two vaccines, while Biological E, Indian Immunologicals and Mynvax are also developing a vaccine each.

Pune-based Serum Institute of India, ranked as India's No. 1 biotechnology company and one of the top vaccines manufactures globally, will also be assisting the team over at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, to mass-produce the vaccine they are developing.

While companies such as Europe’s AstraZeneca claimed that they could potentially supply vaccine as early as this September, experts have indicated based on the history of viruses that a vaccine might possibly be ready by mid-2021, roughly 18 months from when the virus was first discovered.