As India continues to grapple with the debilitating human toll of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is good news regarding the Covid-19 vaccine update. The Health Ministry on Thursday announced that phase 1 and phase 2 human clinical trials of two indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine candidates have started.
Along with India, many countries of the world are trying to develop the Covid-19 vaccine. Clinical trials of both indigenously developed vaccines have been conducted in India and now trials are being conducted on humans.
Currently, seven Indian pharma companies are working to develop a vaccine against coronavirus as they join global efforts to find a preventive to check the spread of the deadly virus that has already infected more than 14 million globally. Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute, Zydus Cadila, Panacea Biotec NSE -1.04 %, Indian Immunologicals, Mynvax, and Biological E are among the domestic pharma firms working on the coronavirus vaccines in India.
Vaccines normally require years of testing and additional time to produce at scale, but scientists are hoping to develop a coronavirus vaccine within months because of the pandemic.
Bharat Biotech has received approval to conduct phase I and II clinical trial for its vaccine candidate Covaxin, that has been developed and manufactured in the company's facility in Hyderabad. It last week started human clinical trials.
Leading vaccine major Serum Institute of India has said that it is hoping to develop a COVID-19 vaccine by the year-end.
(With PTI Inputs)
