Bharat Biotech says Covaxin booster shot neutralises both Omicron & Delta

The study was conducted at the Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta based on blood serum collected from 13 individuals, 28 days after their booster shot

Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech claimed that its Covaxin booster dose can neutralise both the Omicron and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2.

The Hyderabad-based company cited the results from a study conducted at Emory University, Atlanta, USA “demonstrating that sera from subjects who received a booster dose of Covaxin six months after getting a primary two-dose neutralised the Omicron and Delta variants.”

The central government has recently initiated the administration of Covid-19 vaccine third dose, at a time when the Omicron variant is spreading like wildfire.

According to the study, 100 percent of test serum samples showed neutralisation of the Delta variant while neutralisation of the Omicron variant is more than 90 percent.

“As the dominant Covid-19 variant across the globe, Omicron poses a serious public health concern,” said Mehul Suthar, assistant professor, Emory Vaccine Center, who led the laboratory analysis.

Also read: Mask up India, Omicron is far from benign

“Data from this preliminary analysis show individuals receiving a booster dose of Covaxin have a significant immune response to both the Omicron and Delta variants. The findings suggest that a booster dose has the potential to reduce disease severity and hospitalisations.”

The study would be published on the pre-print server, medRXiv, soon. It was sponsored by Ocugen, Inc., Bharat Biotech's USA partner. Bharat Biotech provided sera of the subjects from Phase 2 study.

The new data adds to the body of evidence that the broad-spectrum action mechanism of whole virus inactivated Covid-19 vaccine, like Covaxin, is a viable option in this continuously evolving pandemic, Bharat Biotech said in a statement on Wednesday.

Earlier studies have demonstrated the neutralising potential of Covaxin against SARS-CoV-2 variants of Concern - Alpha, Beta, Delta, Zeta and Kappa, the company said.

Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech said, “The positive neutralisation responses against the Omicron and Delta variants validates our hypothesis of a multi-epitope vaccine generating both humoral and cell mediated immune responses. Our goal of developing a global vaccine against Covid-19 has been achieved with Covaxin usage as a universal vaccine for adults and children.”

Sera samples from individuals who received a booster of Covaxin (BBV152) were observed to be effective in neutralising Omicron and Delta variants on a live virus neutralisation assay. The neutralisation activity of Covaxin-boosted sera was comparable to what has been observed in mRNA vaccine-boosted sera against the Omicron variant.

More than 90 percent of all individuals boosted with Covaxin showed neutralising antibodies. All participants received an initial two-dose schedule of Covaxin (BBV152) on Day 0 and Day 28.

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