The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that it might just give Covaxin, the company’s indigenous vaccine against the coronavirus disease, its much-anticipated approval. This could be good news for Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech (Covid-19). The final phase trial data for Covaxin looks good, according to Soumya Swaminathan, WHO’s chief scientist, who told a Mumbai-based news organisation that it meets the international public health agency’s safety profile so far.
In an interview with CNBC TV-18, Swaminathan said that the pre-submission meeting between Bharat Biotech and WHO took place on June 23, and that the data packet is currently being assembled. She said that while Covaxin’s efficacy against the Delta variant of Covid-19 isn’t great, it’s still better than nothing, and the overall efficacy is “quite high.”
Last Saturday, Bharat Biotech finally released the results of Covaxin’s Phase-3 efficacy study, claiming an overall efficacy of 77.8% against symptomatic Covid-19 patients. Covaxin is 93.4 percent effective against severe symptomatic Covid-19 cases, according to pre-print data from “India’s largest efficacy trial.” Covaxin, on the other hand, offers 65.2 percent protection against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) strain, which is currently the most common Covid-19 variant in India, according to the study.
Last Saturday, Bharat Biotech finally released the results of Covaxin’s Phase-3 efficacy study, claiming an overall efficacy of 77.8% against symptomatic Covid-19 patients. Covaxin is 93.4 percent effective against severe symptomatic Covid-19 cases, according to pre-print data from “India’s largest efficacy trial.” Covaxin, on the other hand, offers 65.2 percent protection against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) strain, which is currently the most common Covid-19 variant in India, according to the study.
The majority of the world, with the exception of a few districts in the United States, has recently seen an increase in Covid-19 cases while the death toll has remained unchanged, according to Swaminathan.
Covid-19, a vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech, is particularly noteworthy. Covaxin has yet to be included in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency use list (EUL). Individuals’ travel plans have been hampered by the lack of WHO endorsement, as many countries only accept vaccines approved by the public health body.
