July 03, 2020 / 16:05 IST
2 | Next crop of COVID-19 vaccine developers take more traditional route: The handful of drugmakers dominating the global coronavirus vaccine race are pushing the boundaries of vaccine technology. The next crop under development feature more conventional, proven designs. The world will need several different vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, given the sheer size of global need, variations in effects on different populations, and possible limits of effectiveness in the first crop. Many leading candidates now in final-stage testing are based on new, largely unproven technology platforms designed to produce vaccines at speed.
An ICMR spokesperson has confirmed the authenticity of a letter by ICMR Head that said the vaccine trials for Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin have been fast-tracked and that it could be launched latest by August 15.
In an official statement, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava had stated that ICMR envisages the launch of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by August 15. Bharat Biotech recently got a nod for the clinical trial of its vaccine - Covaxin.
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"This is the first indigenous vaccine being developed by India and is one of the top priority projects which is being monitored at the topmost level of the Government. The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the preclinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine," the statement reportedly said.
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