Covid-19 Vaccines All Set for Human Trials: Things You Must Know about Covaxin and ZyCoV-D

Amid the despair due to corona crisis, one good news has brought rays of hope to the nation. As per the recent reports, Bharat Biotech International Ltd and Zydus Cadila have got an approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for human clinical trials for their indigenously developed vaccine candidates against Sars-Cov-2, the virus which causes the coronavirus disease. 

As per the recent update, the drug regulator’s approval for Zydus’ ZyCoV-D comes days after Bharat Biotech got a similar nod for human trials for its vaccine candidate as India has listed as the world’s fourth worst-hit country. 

Indian Firms working for Covid-19 Vaccines 

Total seven Indian firms are working for Covid-19 vaccine. However, Bharat Biotech is the first such firms to get the regulatory nod to begin phase 1 and phase 2 human trials. 

As per the recent reports, more than a dozen Covid-19 vaccines from over 100 candidates globally are currently being tested in humans, and some have shown potential in early-stage trials. However, no vaccine has yet been approved for commercial use. 

Things You Need to Know about Covaxin and ZyCoV-D 

* Bharat Biotech had recently claimed that it has successfully developed India’s first Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, and get the permission from the drug controller to start human clinical trials. 

* Bharat Biotech completed comprehensive pre-clinical studies in two months after receiving regulatory approvals. It said results from these studies have been promising and show extensive safety and effective immune responses. 

* Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that it is attempting to launch the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine on August 15. 

* The plan was disclosed in a letter by the country’s topmost medical research body to 12 institutes where human trials are to be held for Covaxin, ordering them to secure necessary approvals from internal committees by July 7 with a warning that “non-compliance will be viewed very seriously”. 

* Moreover, this vaccine showed a “strong immune response” in animal studies and the antibodies produced were able to completely neutralize the wild type virus. 

* “The vaccine has shown a strong immune response in animal studies including multiple animal species like mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. The antibodies produced by the vaccine were able to completely neutralize the wild type virus in virus neutralization assay indicating the protective potential of the vaccine candidate,” Zydus, part of Cadila Healthcare Ltd, said in a statement to stock exchanges.