Human trials on the vaccine started in India

Posted on 16th Jul 2020 by rohit kumar

Human trials of Indian medicines against Corona have begun and the drug may hit the market soon. On Wednesday, Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila reported that it had begun human trials (first and second stages) for its DNA plasmid vaccine Zykov-D. The first and second phases of the test will take at least three months and the company feels that if everything goes well then the third phase will also take at least three months to complete. In such a situation, the indigenous vaccine of Corona may come out around January next year.

 

Meanwhile, human trials of Bharat Biotech drug Kovaxin have also started. According to the Clinical Trial Registry, the estimated time for covaxin drug trials (stages 1 and 2) is approximately one year to three months. Experts believe that it will be completed much before this time. Rajesh Jain, managing director of Panacea Biotech, a company working on the inactivated complete virus vaccine, says the company aims to start human trials around September this year. Thus, in the first quarter of 2021, India is expected to get many vaccines.

 

Many animals, including mice, rabbits, and small pigs of Zykov-D developed at the Vaccine Technology Center in Ahmedabad have been pre-tested. The company stated, 'The antibodies produced by the vaccine were able to neutralize the virus, indicating the protective potential of the vaccine.' Zydus claims that repeated doses in both intramuscular and intradermal categories did not show any protective aspect. The company said that they tolerated it well even when rabbits were given doses more than three times the human dose. The company will conduct Phase I and Phase II trials on 1,000 interested people. What is a DNA plasmid vaccine? It is a relatively new vaccine technique and is also considered cost-effective for scaling. DNA exists as plasmids in the chromosomes of cells and also outside the chromosomes.

 

Scientists have inserted virus genetic material into plasmids derived from bacteria. In this way, the plasmid is injected into the body and gives the necessary instructions to our immune system. Zydus Cadila Chairman Pankaj R. Patel said that work on the vaccine started around March and now the Phase I and Phase II trials will take about three months to complete. Based on the data of the tests, the company will approach the drug regulator for permission for the Phase III trial and at least 5,000 people will be tested. Patel said that if everything goes well, it will take three months to complete the third phase. However, it may also take longer.

 

Zydus Company has prepared a team of 609 people to conduct the test. These teams will be actively involved with the testing sites.

 

Senior virologist Jacob John said that if no negative results are found on any given day, then the first and second stages will take at least three months to complete.

 

In the first phase of human testing, vaccines are given to the selected people with their consent and its effect is calculated. This can cause two types of adverse effects, first, there can be a toxic effect on the tissues of the human body, second, it is to be checked that no adverse immune system develops in the person's body. In the second phase of testing, people are divided into two groups. One group is given only one dose, while the other group is given two or more doses. Experts believe that once the safety profile of the vaccine is developed in the second phase, the selection of people for the third phase of testing becomes easier as people are eager to get the vaccine. The World Health Organization is monitoring Zydus' vaccine projects.

 

IIT Delhi introduced a cheap corona test kit

 

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on Wednesday introduced a kit called 'Corrosure'. It is claimed to be the world's cheapest kit for corona testing. According to IIT officials, the base price of the RT-PCR kit is Rs 399. Apart from this, after adding RNA isolation and laboratory fees, it still costs 650 rupees. Currently, this kit will be much cheaper than the kits available in the market. Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' launched 'Corrosure', which will now be available for use in authorized testing laboratories.

 

Indigenous vaccine gets permission

 

The Drug Controller General of India has approved an indigenously developed pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine by the Serum Institute of India. Its tests have been conducted in India and Gambia. The Special Expert Committee (SEC) for vaccines has reviewed clinical trial data. The committee recommended allowing the vaccine to the market authority. The government said that earlier the demand for such vaccine was met to a limit by licensed importers in the country as it was manufactured by outside vaccine companies. The vaccine is used for active immunization against invasive disease and pneumonia caused by 'Streptococcus pneumonia' in infants. The vaccine is used intramuscularly.

 

Corona: Events

 

The total number of people who have been infected with the deadly virus so far in the country has risen to 9,36,181 and 582 more people died due to infection after the maximum number of 29,429 new cases of coronavirus infection reported in India on Wednesday. The number increased to 24,309.

 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday that the Covid-19 situation in the national capital is now better than in June, but the war against the virus has not yet been won.

 

A committee of Parliament asked senior government officials to promote affordable and easily available medicines manufactured in the country.

 

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has advised all his cabinet colleagues to conduct the Covid-19 investigation. He suggested this to a minister after the coronavirus infection was confirmed