COVAXIN demonstrates protective efficacy in animal studies: Bharat Biotech

Bharat Biotech, COVAXIN, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate has shown positive efficacy in animal studies.

“Bharat Biotech proudly announces the animal study results of COVAXIN – These results demonstrate the protective efficacy in a live viral challenge model,” tweeted the company.

The indigenously developed vaccine by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech, is undergoing at 12 institutes across India.

The company informed through a statement, “A two-dose vaccination regimen of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates was administered in 20 rhesus macaques (divided into four groups equally). One group was administered with placebo, while three groups were immunised with three different vaccine candidates at 0 and 14 days. All the macaques were exposed to viral challenge 14 days after the second dose.”

It also divulged, “The results showed protective efficacy, increasing SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG and neutralizing antibodies, reducing replication of the virus in the nasal cavity, throat, and lung tissues of monkey. No evidence of pneumonia was observed by histopathological examination in vaccinated groups, unlike the placebo group. Adverse events were not seen in animals immunized with a two-dose vaccination regimen.”

It concluded, “The vaccine candidate was found to generate robust immune responses. Thus, preventing infection and disease in the primates upon high amounts of exposure to live SARS-CoV-2 virus.”