TNI Bureau: In a big development, which may script a new chapter in global medical history, India has set a deadline of August 15 to complete all clinical trials and launch the first-ever COVID-19 vaccine in the country, as per the reports in national media.
12 Institutes across the country have been selected for clinical trials of the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine (BBV152 COVID-19 vaccine).
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has written to the select medical institutions and hospitals to fast-track the clinical trial approvals for the vaccine.
The institutes chosen for the clinical trial of the COVID-19 Vaccine are located at Visakhapatnam, Rohtak, New Delhi, Patna, Belgaum (Karnataka), Nagpur, Gorakhpur, Kattankulathur (Tamil Nadu), Hyderabad, Arya Nagar, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Goa, and Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital (Bhubaneswar, Odisha).
The indigenous COVID-19 vaccine has been developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech’s facility located in Hyderabad. Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ has already received the Drug Controller General of India’s approval to conduct human trials.
Apart from Bharat Biotech, Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Healthcare is also developing the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine.
