Bharat Biotech says Covaxin safe for booster dose against Covid

Further, reactogenicity after vaccine and placebo was minimal and comparable, and no serious adverse events were reported, the company said referring to the trial results.

PTI

January 09, 2022 / 14:26 IST

To visit the Indian village of Malana deep in the Himalayas, a COVID-19 vaccination team scrambled over a landslide that blocked the road the day before, scaled a retaining wall and then began a three-hour trek down and up a river valley. (Image: Reuters)

Bharat Biotech on Saturday said trials have indicated that its vaccine Covaxin is safe for booster dosage against COVID-19.

The analysis showed, six months after a two-dose Covaxin (BBV152) vaccination series cell-mediated immunity and neutralising antibodies to both homologous (D614G) and heterologous strains (Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Delta plus) persisted above baseline, although the magnitude of the responses had declined, the company said.

Furthermore, neutralising antibodies against homologous and heterologous SARS-CoV-2 variants increased from 19 to 265 folds after a third vaccination, it added. Booster BBV152 vaccination is safe and may be necessary to ensure persistent immunity to prevent breakthrough infections, it added.

"These trial results provide a strong foundation towards our goal to provide Covaxin as a booster dose. Our goal of developing a global vaccine against COVID-19 has been achieved with Covaxin indicated for adults, children, two-dose primary and booster doses. This enables the use of the vaccine as a universal vaccine," Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella said.

Further, reactogenicity after vaccine and placebo was minimal and comparable, and no serious adverse events were reported, the company said referring to the trial results.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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Bharat Biotech says Covaxin safe for booster dose against Covid

Further, reactogenicity after vaccine and placebo was minimal and comparable, and no serious adverse events were reported, the company said referring to the trial results.

To visit the Indian village of Malana deep in the Himalayas, a COVID-19 vaccination team scrambled over a landslide that blocked the road the day before, scaled a retaining wall and then began a three-hour trek down and up a river valley. (Image: Reuters)

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