COVID-19 vaccines developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, Biological E and Dr Reddy’s are already in different phases of human clinical trials. Details over their results and safety are expected from early next year onwards.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (November 30) held virtual meetings with teams representing Pune’s Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, and Hyderabad’s Biological E and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, two days after he visited Zydus-Cadila, Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad and Serum Institute, Pune, to review coronavirus vaccine development work.
Here are the details on the vaccine candidates developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, Biological E and Dr Reddy’s. Also know at what stage of trials they are in:
Pune’s Gennova Biopharmaceuticals:
Gennova has developed an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. This technology is the same platform that US pharma companies Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna are developing. The Pune-based biotech firm is producing this vaccine candidate in collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, Seattle, USA.
In India, the Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science & Technology has provided seed funding for the development of Gennova’s vaccine.
Clinical trial is likely to be undertaken by December 2020. The mRNA platform has shown an efficacy of 95% in random clinical trials.
Gennova’s vaccine candidate has been touted as the next-generation vaccine due to its mRNA technology. It is also being promoted as cost-effective.
In this type, a genetic code is inserted to prompt the body into making copies of antigen protein. The antigen protein is a portion of the Sars-Cov-2 virus, the virus that causes Covid-19), which makes the body recognise and fight the pathogen.
Hyderabad’s Biological E:
On November 16, 2020, Hyderabad-based vaccines and pharmaceutical company, Biological E, US-based vaccine biopharmaceutical company Dynavax Technologies Corporation (Dynavax), and health sciences university in Houston - Baylor College of Medicine - announced that Biological E has initiated Phase I/II clinical trial of its COVID-19 subunit vaccine candidate in India following approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI).
The results of the clinical trials of phase 1 and 2 are expected to be available by February 2021. And, the vaccine may be available in India by mid-2021.
People will be administered two intramuscular doses of the vaccine candidate 28 days apart once approved for immunization.
The vaccine candidate includes an antigen, from BCM Ventures, Baylor College of Medicine’s integrated team, and advanced adjuvant from Dynavax. Adjuvantis, a pharmacological or immunological agent, improves the immune response of a vaccine.
Hyderabad’s Dr Reddy's Laboratories:
Dr Reddy’s vaccine is an Indo-Russian collaboration. The Hyderabad-based pharma laboratory has permission to begin its final stage trials of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine. It has a joint venture with Russia's Gamaleya Institute of Infectious Disease to manufacture 100 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccines.
The company has collaboration with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) for clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine in India.
The firm has said the mid-stage trial of the Sputnik V vaccine will likely end by December 2020, and phase 3 trials may end by last week of March 2020. Dr Reddy's expects to enrol 1500 people for phase 3.
The technology that is adopted by SputnikV vaccine is based on an inactivated human adenovirus as vector (vehicle), which carries the protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes Covid.
