Phase 3 trial of Coronavirus vaccine 'Covishield' begins in Pune: Official

Following approval of Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), final st of clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by UK’s Oxford University and manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) has begun in Pune, an official was quoted by PTI on Monday, September 21. Earlier dean of state-run Sassoon General Hospital Dr Muralidhar Tambe said to PTI that 150 to 200 individuals will be administered with dose of ‘Covishield’ after Phase 3 clinical trials were briefly paused when a volunteer in Britain had developed an ‘unexplained illness’ during same. 

This comes after Tambe said that trials would resume in upcoming week and indicated that it could be on Monday. He had also said that several people had already come up for volunteering for trials and hospitals had begun enrolling m from September 19. Phase 2 clinical trials of potential COVID-19 vaccine were conducted at Bharti Vidyapeeth Medical College and KEM Hospital in Pune. 

" phase-III trial of 'Covishield' vaccine will begin at Sassoon hospital from next week. It is likely to start on Monday. Some volunteers have already come forward for trial. Around 150 to 200 volunteers will be administered vaccine candidate dose," Tambe had said.

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SII has partnered with UK-based pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for manufacture of COVID-19 vaccine candidate that has been developed at Oxford University. Earlier, world’s third-largest vaccine manufacturer had confirmed that India trials of ‘Covishield’ due to DCGI directing on September 11 that hospital shall suspend any fresh recruitments in Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials of potential vaccine until furr orders are received by British company. 

On September 15, DCGI had allowed Serum Insitute to resume trials after AstraZeneca submitted recommendations of Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), UK and DSMB India while requesting permission to restart enrolment in subject clinical trial of vaccine.

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 51% of promised COVID-19 vaccine doses acquired

As race for acquiring potential doses of vaccine has grown more intense, a recent report by an international anti-poverty nprofit Oxfam revealed earlier that rich nations including United States, UK and Japan that represent only 13 per cent of world’s population have already acquired 51 per cent of promised doses of COVID-19 vaccine candidates. 

Before health and finance ministers of G20 countries met to discuss COVID-19 pandemic, nprofit organisation had alerted on situation based on agreements struck between rich nations with five leading vaccine candidates that are currently in final st of clinical trials according to data collected by Airfinity. Moreover, it also found out that most companies do t have ability to make eugh COVID-19 vaccine does for all people who require same. 

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(With PTI inputs)