‘Covishield’ Vaccine to Start Trials in India

The Serum Institute of India is going to launch its first COVID 19 vaccine candidate for trials very soon in India. The vaccine has been named as ‘Covishield’. It has been developed by the Oxford University and pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca. The Serum Institute is going to apply for the license for trials of the vaccine to the Indian regulator shortly.

Background

The first results of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and Pharma Company have shown promising results. It is said to be safe and also provokes an immune reaction in a person for a period of two months. With such results, SII is now planning to get the approval from the Drug Controller General of India for conducting a trial of the same in India. The institute is also interested in manufacturing the vaccine in India in bulk.

Details of the Oxford University Vaccine

The vaccine, named as AZD1222 has been manufactured by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and it has been found to boost the T cell and antibody immunity in the human body. It also produced strong responses on both accounts with the T cell immunity peaking after two weeks of administering the vaccine and then decreasing slightly by Day 56. On the other hand, the antibody immunity has been found to be peaking after four weeks and remaining the same by Day 56 as well.

The researchers are now hopeful that a vaccine may get ready by the end of 2020 since more than 91% of the volunteers injected with the vaccine have produced an immune response against the virus lasting for a month or more.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2020