The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has selected King George Hospital (KGH) to undertake human clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL).
The vaccine named as Covaxin is likely to be launched on August 15, and KGH is one among the 12 centres in the country, which will conduct the human clinical trials. KGH is the oldest hospital in the State and has a century-old history attached to it.
Established in 1845 as a civil dispensary, it was later upgraded into a 30-bed hospital in 1857. Officially it was inaugurated as KGH on May 19, 1923, by the then Raja of Panagal.
Speaking to The Hindu, KGH Superintendent G. Arjuna said that the order has been communicated, but guidelines from the State government are awaited.
R. Vasudev of KGH, who is tipped to part of the team along with Dr. Arjuna to conduct the human clinical trials, said that the trials will be made on fully fit and healthy volunteers who are free from any strains of virus and infections, including COVID-19.
Basically, human clinical trials are conducted to understand the efficacy of the vaccine developed and check on the possible adverse effects, he said.
According to Dr. Arjuna, for understanding the effects of any new vaccine on human body it may take four to six weeks and after administering the vaccine and the volunteer is monitored on a daily basis. “We basically check on the changes of Immunoglobulin in the body,” he said.
It is learnt that the ICMR has partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to conduct the trials.
“BBIL is using the virus strain isolated at the ICMR’s National Institute of Virology, Pune, to develop the vaccine,” said a scientist from the virology laboratory in KGH.
A team of doctors and scientists from the Department of Microbiology, virology laboratory and general medicine will be involved in the clinical trials.
“Once we get the guidelines from the government and ethics committee, the work will begin,” said Dr. Arjuna.