01/10All the updates regarding COVID-19 vaccine development

Coronavirus cases are surging at an alarming rate across the globe. As authorities try using experimental strategies to treat the deadly virus, over 110 groups are in contention to invent a vaccine to combat the pandemic at warp speed and more than 11 have advanced to large scale trials. India too is seeing developments happening at warp speed, with two prototypes, one produced by Bharat Biotech and the other by Zydus Cadila issued clearance to start clinical trials. Here are all the updates regarding the same.

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02/10ICMR speeds up COVAXIN clinical trials in hopes of having a vaccine ready before August 15

ICMR speeds up COVAXIN clinical trials in hopes of having a vaccine ready before August 15

India's first homegrown vaccine developed by leading vaccine maker Bharat Biotech won regulatory approvals from the authorities to kickstart phase I and II of the trials in research centres across the country, as COVID-19 cases spike every day. Indian Council of Medical Research also announced plans to further speed up the trials and produce results of the same by August 15. A total of 12 institutes have been asked by the ICMR to fast track clinical trials of the vaccine as it is being considered the topmost priority projects which are being monitored by the government.

While the deadline is ambitious and much shorter than those promised by other leading competitors in the vaccine race, the August 15 date has received a lot of criticism from doctors and researchers, who claim there is still no proper evidence that Bharat Biotech based vaccine would work and immunization against the pandemic will take a long time. Many called it "rushed" and said that the move comes backed with potential risks.

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03/10ICMR issues clarification

ICMR issues clarification

However, after receiving much backlash, India's clinical regulatory board, ICMR issued a clarification, saying that their timelines were very much in toe with what global companies are following. A statement issued by ICMR mentioned:

"Everything will be dependent on the clinical trial results...speedy trials were envisioned to cut unnecessary red tape, without bypassing any necessary process, and speed up recruitment of participants."

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04/10Trial of COVAXIN and ZyCov-D 'beginning of the end'

Trial of COVAXIN and ZyCov-D 'beginning of the end'
While a row erupts over the hasty deadline, authorities say that the fast-tracking of trials of the two vaccines under development, COVAXIN and ZyCOV-D marks the "beginning of the end". A report mentions:

"Now the nod given by the Drug Controller General of India, CDSCO (the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) for the conduct of the human trial for the vaccines, marks the beginning of the end,"

Apart from this, the report which has been published on the official forum of India's science ministry mentions that apart from the homegrown vaccines, India's major vaccine production companies have also inked deals with leading vaccine firms, including the one produced by Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca, which would help our country deal with the pandemic. With over 6,97,000 cases, India is on its way to becoming the 3rd worst affected nation in the world.

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05/10Will India get a vaccine by August 15?

Will India get a vaccine by August 15?

The medical board also said that the decision to speed up development was taken into consideration to meet with public health concerns.

"ICMR's process is exactly in accordance with the globally accepted norms to fast-track the vaccine development for diseases of pandemic potential wherein human and animal trials can continue in parallel."

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06/10Zydus vaccine cleared for clinical trials

Zydus vaccine cleared for clinical trials

Indian pharmaceutical company, Zydus Cadila received the green signal from The Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) to start phase I and II of their clinical trials on human participants. A report mentioned that Ahmedabad based Zydus Cadila saw satisfactory results in the pre-clinical trials and various animal studies, post which, the regulatory board issued them the go-ahead to start the trials. One of their prime vaccine candidates deals with the development of a DNA vaccine against the coronavirus membrane protein which would subsequently work by encouraging a strong immune response and root away viral cells.

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07/10Sinovac to proceed with trials in Brazil

Sinovac to proceed with trials in Brazil

The vaccine produced by Chinese pharma giant, Cansino Biologics Inc, Sinovac has been granted the permission to start trials of the vaccine jab in Brazilian health regulators, Anvisa in the country, which is one of the worst-affected countries to suffer from the COVID-19 outbreak. According to reports, the agreement with Sinovac includes not only trials but also the transference of technology to produce the potential vaccine locally. Trials for the same will be conducted in 12 research centres across the country.

6 other vaccines are currently being researched and developed in China apart from Sinovac.

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08/10Oxford vaccine to guarantee good immunity says, lead researcher

Oxford vaccine to guarantee good immunity says, lead researcher

Oxford University backed vaccine model, produced in collaboration with British-Swedish firm, AstraZeneca is seeing developments happen at a good rate. The vaccine, which is currently in its phase-III of its trials, is said to be extremely promising. According to recent reports, a lead researcher involved in the development of the vaccine, Sarah Gilbert said that Oxford vaccine should be able to provide ‘a good duration of immunity’ and she is optimistic about it. The makers have also signed a deal with Brazil government to supply ready doses for the same. The vaccine prototype is also one model which has been pegged by the WHO to be the safest so far.

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09/10Vaccine candidate by Pfizer, BioNtech shows promise in early trials

Vaccine candidate by Pfizer, BioNtech shows promise in early trials

In more promising news, a vaccine prototype under development, BNT162b1 by pharma giant Pfizer and German company BioNtech has shown safe and effective results in preliminary studies of its phase I trials, which is based on innovative mRNA technology. Data regarding early observations have been published in the medical journal, medRxiv and is yet to be peer-reviewed. Pfizer was considered to be one of the earliest frontrunners in the global vaccine hunt, and extensive studies are being done since early April. A messenger RNA prototype has also been modelled by Moderna Inc, which will soon proceed to phase-III trial in the next week or so.

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10/10Johnson and Johnson expedite phase I clinical trials

Johnson and Johnson expedite phase I clinical trials

Pharma company Johnson and Johnson (J & J) announced a breakthrough this week after they announced the start of potential phase I trials of their vaccine prototype. The drugmaker plans to accelerate trials of their product in the next month or so, and the company is also working on expanding production and manufacturing to meet with the current timelines. Johnson and Johnson is also involved in Operation WarpSpeed, USA to hunt for a potential vaccine. Reports are also rife that the pharma giant has inked a potential deal with authorities in Europe to supply large scale vaccine doses, if the testing shows safe results.

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