Covaxin shows 77.8% efficacy against symptomatic Covid: Lancet

New Delhi, Nov 12: Covaxin, India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech demonstrates 77.8% efficacy against symptomatic Covid-19. The trial results have been published in the British medical journal The Lancet after being peer-reviewed.

The vaccine is developed using Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell derived platform technology. Inactivated vaccines do not replicate and are therefore unlikely to revert and cause pathological effects. They contain dead virus, incapable of infecting people but still able to instruct the immune system to mount a defensive reaction against an infection.

Why develop Inactivated Vaccine? Conventionally, inactivated vaccines have been around for decades. Numerous vaccines for diseases such as Seasonal Influenza, Polio, Pertussis, Rabies, and Japanese Encephalitis use the same technology to develop inactivated vaccines with a safe track record of >300 million doses of supplies to date. It is the well-established, and time-tested platform in the world of vaccine technology.

Covaxin is included along with immune-potentiators, also known as vaccine adjuvants, which are added to the vaccine to increase and boost its immunogenicity.

It is a 2-dose vaccination regimen given 28 days apart.

It is a vaccine with no sub-zero storage, no reconstitution requirement, and ready to use liquid presentation in multi-dose vials, stable at 2-8oC.

It has proven to neutralize the variants - B.1.1.7 (Alpha) first isolated in UK, P.1- B.1.1.28 (Gamma) & P.2 - B.1.1.28 (Zeta) first isolated in Brazil, B.1.617 (Kappa) first isolated in India, B.1.351 & B.1.617.2 (Beta & Delta) first isolated in RSA & India.

Efficacy data demonstrates 65.2% protection against the SARS-CoV-2, B.1.617.2 Delta variant.