<div align="justify">Bharat Biotech today said that the phase 1 human clinical trials of the indigenously developed chikungunya (CHIKV) vaccine is underway in India to evaluate its safety, tolerability and immunogenicity.<br /><br />According to a press release issued by the vaccine maker, the "placebo-controlled" study involving 60 healthy volunteers would test escalating doses of the vaccine in prime-boost regimen.<br /><br />The company developed CHIKV vaccine using an isolate of the virus from Indian epidemic and the candidate vaccine was approved by the Drug Controller General of India for phase 1 clinical trials in 2016, it said.<br /><br />Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella said chikungunya is one of the most dreaded viruses in modern times, and developing an efficient vaccine to prevent it means a lot, for people at risk of the infection.<br /><br />"Our pre-clinical studies were promising and we hope that the first in–human clinical trials successfully meet with the clinical end points," Ella said.<br /><br />Bharat Biotech filed a globally pioneering patent in 2007 for CHIKV drawing priority from 2006, and followed up with a second patent in 2011. Patents have been granted in USA, Europe, China, Indonesia and South Africa, the release said.<br /><br />If phase 1 clinical testing is successful, Bharat Biotech plans to advance the vaccine into phase II and III clinical development.<br /><br />According to WHO, chikungunya has been identified in over 60 countries. It is a viral disease (genus Alphavirus) which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes</div>
<div align="justify">Bharat Biotech today said that the phase 1 human clinical trials of the indigenously developed chikungunya (CHIKV) vaccine is underway in India to evaluate its safety, tolerability and immunogenicity.<br /><br />According to a press release issued by the vaccine maker, the "placebo-controlled" study involving 60 healthy volunteers would test escalating doses of the vaccine in prime-boost regimen.<br /><br />The company developed CHIKV vaccine using an isolate of the virus from Indian epidemic and the candidate vaccine was approved by the Drug Controller General of India for phase 1 clinical trials in 2016, it said.<br /><br />Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella said chikungunya is one of the most dreaded viruses in modern times, and developing an efficient vaccine to prevent it means a lot, for people at risk of the infection.<br /><br />"Our pre-clinical studies were promising and we hope that the first in–human clinical trials successfully meet with the clinical end points," Ella said.<br /><br />Bharat Biotech filed a globally pioneering patent in 2007 for CHIKV drawing priority from 2006, and followed up with a second patent in 2011. Patents have been granted in USA, Europe, China, Indonesia and South Africa, the release said.<br /><br />If phase 1 clinical testing is successful, Bharat Biotech plans to advance the vaccine into phase II and III clinical development.<br /><br />According to WHO, chikungunya has been identified in over 60 countries. It is a viral disease (genus Alphavirus) which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes</div>