The Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech finally on the 3rd of January got approval for emergency use of COVAXIN, a potential candidate for the Novel Coronavirus infection.
In regard to this, the pharmacy company has recruited 23,000 volunteers for phase 3 clinical trials in several sites across India.
The target of Bharat Biotech Private Limited is to administer COVAXIN to 26,000 participants across multiple sites in India.
Bharat Biotech, along with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Virology, is developing COVAXIN and started phase III clinical trials in November 2020.
However, Bharat Biotech would be the first pharma company in India to achieve, 26,000 volunteers goal for the phase III clinical trials.
Dr. Krishna Ella, the Joint Managing Director of Bharat Biotech, thanked volunteers for their involvement in the trials, and said that the spirit of volunteering is a great moral boost for India and the world.
Mr. Ella said, “We would like to thank all the principal investigators, physicians, medical staff and hospitals for their cooperation and support in advancing the phase III trials of 23,000 Indian volunteers. We are continuing our progress towards achieving the Covaxin Phase 3 clinical trial goal of 26,000 participants.”
When asked about the price of COVAXIN, Dr. Krishna said “Cheaper than a water bottle.” The final costing is likely to be close to Rs. 100.
However, an official price is yet to be announced.
With positive safety and immunogenicity findings and acceptance in international peer reviewed scientific journals, COVAXIN has been tested in approximately 1,000 subjects in Phase I and II clinical trials.
With the Emergency Authorizations Usage (EAU,) the company is hopeful to manufacture in bulk for people of India.
Meanwhile, the Indian Government also assured India made vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 to be launched soon.
Until then, the Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan asked citizens of India to be cautious and follow all the guidelines of COVID-19.
Stay tuned for further updates.
