Be Ethical In The Race For A Virus Vaccine

The race for an Indian vaccine to combat Covid-19 is heating up with the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech announcing on June 29 that its vaccine, Covaxin, has regulatory approvals for phase 1 and 2 human clinical trials.

The approval is based on data of preclinical studies that “demonstrated safety and immune response,” according to the company. Bharat Biotech is collaborating with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) for the project. The company said trials will begin in July, but it didn’t say when the vaccine would be available. The reason is that it would depend on the outcome of clinical trials and submission of data to the regulatory authority. This is as per the standard protocol followed for new vaccines and drugs.