A photo shows an employee showing a vial with the “Gam-COVID-Vac” vaccine against the coronavirus disease, developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Russia on August 7, 2020. (Reuters )
Bharat Biotech said the results demonstrated the protective efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine in a live viral challenge model.
- IANS Hyderabad
- Last update: September 12, 2020 9:49 AM IST
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Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech announced Friday that animal trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, Covaxin, were a success.
He said the results demonstrated the protective efficacy of the vaccine in a live viral challenge model.
“Bharat Biotech proudly announces the results of the COVAXIN animal study. These results demonstrate the protective efficacy in a live viral challenge model,” the Hyderabad-based firm tweeted.
He said the data from the primate study corroborates the immunogenicity of the candidate vaccine.
According to a detailed statement attached to the tweet, Bharat Biotech developed and evaluated the protective efficacy and immunogenicity of an inactivated vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 (BBV152) or Covaxin in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulata). Twenty macaques were divided into four groups of five animals each.
“One group was given a placebo while three groups were immunized with three different candidate vaccines at 0 and 14 days. All macaques were challenged with SARS-CoV-2 14 days after the second dose. The response Protective disease was seen with an increase in CoV-2-specific SARS-IgG and neutralizing antibody titers by the third week after immunization, “he said.
“Viral shedding of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, nasal swab, throat swab and lung tissues was observed 7 days after infection in the vaccinated groups. No evidence of pneumonia was observed on histopathological examination in the vaccinated groups, unlike the group of placebo that showed characteristics of interstitial pneumonia and localization of viral antigen in the alveolar epithelium and macrophages by immunohistochemistry “.
“To summarize, the candidate vaccine was found to elicit strong immune responses. Therefore, it prevents infection and disease in primates after large amounts of exposure to the live SARS-CoV-2 virus,” he added.
The vaccine is being evaluated in phase I clinical trials in India.
The vaccine maker earlier this month received approval from the Central Standard Drug Control Organization to conduct Phase II trials.
Bharat Biotech had announced on June 29 that it had successfully developed Covaxin in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).
The SARS-CoV-2 strain was isolated in NIV, Pune and transferred to Bharat Biotech. The inactivated native candidate vaccine has been developed and manufactured at Bharat Biotech’s high containment facility located in Genome Valley, Hyderabad.
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