Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' enters phase-3 trials

Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, being developed by Bharat Biotech is now undergoing phase-3 trials, Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech said on Monday.

Speaking virtually at a programme organised by the Indian School of Business, Ella said the company is also working on another vaccine for Covid-19 which would be in the form of nasal drops and can be ready by next year.

"We partnered with ICMR for Covid-19 vaccine as we speak it entered the phase 3 trials," he said.

Bharat Biotech is the only vaccine company in the world which has BSL3 production facility (Biosafety level 3), he said.

Read: Media doing exceptional work in spreading awareness against Covid-19, says PM Narendra Modi

Last month the vaccine maker said it had successfully completed interim analysis of Phase I and II trials of the vaccine and is initiating Phase-III trials in 26,000 participants.

Covaxinis being developed byBharatBiotech, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV).

The city-based vaccine maker had on October 2 sought the Drug Controller General of India's (DCGI) permission to conduct phase 3 randomised double-blind placebo-controlled multicentre trial of its Covid-19 vaccine, sources said.

"We are working on another vaccine through nasal drops my feeling is by next year it will reach the population," Ella said.

BharatBiotechin September said it entered into a licensing agreement with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis for a novel "chimp-adenovirus" (Chimpanzee adenovirus), single-dose intranasal vaccine for Covid-19.