Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
New Delhi
As COVID cases on Monday reached 26,47,663 the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration met leading domestic vaccine manufactures Serum Institute of India, Pune; Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad; Zydus Cadila, Ahmedabad; Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, Pune; and Biological E, Hyderabad to take stock of the vaccine development process and chart post vaccine development plan.
The meeting came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said every Indian will have a vaccine once a safe vaccine is ready and a roadmap for this was in place.
“The meet was mutually beneficial and productive. It provided the National Expert Group with inputs about the present stage of various candidate vaccines being developed by the indigenous manufacturers as well as their expectations from the Union Government,” Health Ministry said.
Serum Institute’s collaborative vaccine project with Oxford University and Astra Zeneca has entered phase 2 trials in India with permission to hold phase 3 also. This vaccine is already in phase 3 trials in Brazil.
Bharat Biotech and ICMR vaccine has finished phase one trials and entered phase 2 so has the Zydus Cadila vaccine. These two are Indian vaccines.
Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, Pune; and Biological E, Hyderabad, the other two vaccine makers the government met today are conducting animal toxicity studies and have applied for apex drug controller’s permission for human trials on their vaccines.
The vaccine group meet came on a day when India reported the highest ever single day recoveries of 57,584 taking the recovery rate beyond 72 pc to 72.51 pc.
Globally, 24 vaccines are in advanced stages of human trials while 141 candidates in pre-human trial study stage where trials are underway on animals.
