At least 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, Indian Immunologicals, Mynvax and Biological E are among the domestic pharma firms working on the coronavirus vaccines in India.
Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute, Zydus Cadila, Panacea Biotec, 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, which has been developed and manufactured in the company’s facility in Hyderabad. Last week, it had started human clinical trials.
Serum Institute of India said it is hoping to develop a Covid-19 vaccine by the year-end.
“At present, we are working on the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine which is undergoing phase III clinical trials. In addition to this, we will also start human trials in India in August 2020. Based on the current situation and most recent updates on the clinical trials, we are hoping that the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine will be available towards the end of this year,” Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer at Serum Institute of India, told PTI.
Chinese company Sinovac Biotech is moving into phase III trials in Brazil while University of Oxford/AstraZeneca is in a combine phase II/III trial in the UK and has recently gone into phase III trials in South Africa and Brazil.
U.S.-based Moderna expects to start phase III trials of its vaccine candidate this month.
Among other leading players, German firm BioNTech is collaborating with pharma major Pfizer to develop a vaccine for COVID-19.
The companies have received fast track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for two investigational vaccine candidates being developed to help protect against SARS-CoV-2.