COVID-19: India To Be Ready With COVAXIN By August 15

HYDERABAD: India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine COVAXIN is expected to be launched by August 15 on Independence Day. The medicine is being developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL).

This, made in India COVID-19 vaccine, is now under human clinical trials and 12 institutes were selected for clinical trials.

The institutes selected for clinical trials of this vaccine are in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, New Delhi, Rohtak, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Patna, Belgaum (Karnataka), Nagpur, Kattankulathur (Tamil Nadu), Gorakhpur, Goa and Arya Nagar.

The ICMR is making all efforts to develop the vaccine as soon as possible to contain the spread of the virus in the country.

ICMR has advised the 12 institutes to complete the clinical trials at a faster rate as it is a priority project which is continuously being monitored by the central government.

The vaccine was developed from the SARS-CoV-2 which was isolated by Pune's ICMR-National Institute of Virology.

This is the first vaccine developed in India which received the Drug Controller General of India’s approval to enter human trials.
 
ICMR is working along with BBIL working for the pre-clinical and the clinical development of COVAXIN.

Both ICMR and BBIL are making efforts to launch the vaccine for public usage by August 15 after the completion of all clinical trials.

ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava has written letters to all the institutes who were a part of this clinical trials, to speed up the approvals for the vaccine after clinical trials, without any time-lapse, otherwise it will be viewed seriously.

It must be noted that no vaccine has been approved for COVID-19 till now.