India's Covaxin Shows Better Results Against Coronavirus
India has developed its own COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, and is providing better results in combatting the deadly Coronavirus.
On Wednesday, Bharat Biotech claimed that Covaxin had exhibited 78% effectiveness against mild to severe COVID-19 cases. This is according to the Phase III interim analysis results. It also noted that the Phase III study's second interim data minimizes the chances of getting hospitalized due to the infectious disease after taking the vaccine.
Covaxin's Phase III study listed 25,800 participants aged 18 to 98 years old. Those participants who are more than 60 years old comprise 10% of the group with analysis conducted two weeks post the second dose. Covaxin was developed with seed strains that the National Institute of Virology provided.
Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella said, "Efficacy against SARS-Cov-2 has been established. Covaxin has demonstrated an excellent safety record in human clinical trials and in usage under emergency use. Covaxin is now a global innovator vaccine derived from R&D in India."
Because of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, 127 symptomatic cases have been recorded. The effectiveness against asymptomatic COVID-19 infection was 70%, indicating reduced contagion in Covaxin recipients.
Last month, India's ambassador to the Philippines, Shambhu Kumaran, confirmed that the Philippines and India are in negotiations regarding the supply of 8 million or more doses of Covaxin. According to the Philippines presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, the private sector may begin receiving millions of doses of Covaxin this month.
Currently, nearly 11 million Covaxin doses were administered in India's vaccination campaign, which is way below the nearly 117 million doses of Covishield. Covaxin is a complete indigenous product with the viral strain secluded at the ICMR-National Institute of Virology. Even if it was given emergency use consent in January, it was done giving efficacy data.