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

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Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella on Monday said that coronavirus vaccine 'covaxin' is now undergoing phase-3 trail. 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.

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

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.

(With PTI input)