COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin enters phase-3 trials

Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, being developed by Bharat Biotech is now undergoing phase-3 trials, Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech said on Monday.

Speaking virtually at a programme organised by the Indian School of Business, Ella said the company is also working on another vaccine for COVID-19 which would be in the form of nasal drops and can be ready by next year.

"We partnered with Indian Council of Medical Research for COVID-19 vaccine as we speak it entered the phase 3 trials," he said.

Bharat Biotech is the only vaccine company in the world which has BSL3 production facility (Biosafety level 3), he said.

Last month, the vaccine maker said it had successfully completed interim analysis of Phase I and II trials of the vaccine and is initiating Phase-III trials in 26,000 participants.

Covaxin is being developed by Bharat Biotech, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research - National Institute of Virology.

The city-based vaccine maker had on October 2 sought the Drug Controller General of India's permission to conduct phase 3 randomised double-blind placebo-controlled multicentre trial of its COVID-19 vaccine, sources said.

"We are working on another vaccine through nasal drops my feeling is by next year it will reach the population," Ella said.

BharatBiotech in September said it entered into a licensing agreement with Washington University School of Medicine in S. Louis for a novel "chimp-adenovirus" (Chimpanzee adenovirus), single dose intranasal vaccine for COVID-19.