The procedure for the clinical trial of Covaxine for COVID19, began at Redkar hospital in Pernem with the collection of blood samples of seven volunteers.
Dr Redkar is one of the six hospitals appointed across the country by the Indian Council for Medical research, to conduct trials of the Covaxin.
Speaking to media, Dr Sagar Redkar said, that following due procedures the Covaxin has been made available to them.
“Seven samples of the volunteers have been collected on Sunday to test for eligibility for the vaccine trial,” he said.
He further states that the only healthy volunteers would be selected for trials as per the guidelines of the OICMR
Dr Redkar appealed to the youth between the age of 18 to 55, to be part of the trial.
“Those interested can contact us at 7775026777,” he said.
India-based biotechnology company Bharat Biotech has secured regulatory approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to advance its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, Covaxin, into human clinical trials.
This marks the first regulatory approval for India’s domestic vaccine to enter trials. DCGI’s approval will enable the company to conduct Phase I and II studies, which are set to begin next month.
Covaxin has been developed in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Virology. The inactivated vaccine was manufactured in Bharat Biotech’s facility at Genome Valley in Hyderabad, India.
Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director Krishna Ella said: “We are proud to announce ‘Covaxin’, India’s first indigenous vaccine against Covid-19.
“The collaboration with ICMR and NIV was instrumental in the development of this vaccine. The proactive support and guidance from CDSCO has enabled approvals to this project.”
In April this year, Bharat Biotech partnered with FluGen and University of Wisconsin–Madison (UWMadison) to develop and evaluate a Covid-19 vaccine candidate, CoroFlu.
CoroFlu will be administered intranasally with an aim to induce multiple immune responses.