DCGI's Expert Panel Gives Go-Ahead To Bharat Biotech For Mixing Of COVAXIN And Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine In Trials

The Drug Controller General of India's subject expert committee (SEC) has given its approval to Bharat Biotech to conduct a trial that will involve combining the doses of Covaxin and Hyderabad-based firm's other nasal COVID-19 vaccine.

Bharat Biotech, which manufactures Covaxin, is presently conducting trials of its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine in the country.

The SEC has given its go-ahead to Bharat Biotech to conduct the phase 2 and 3 clinical trials, adminisering a dose each of Covaxin and the adenoviral intranasal vaccine with an interval between the two, reports Economic Times.

"After detailed deliberation, the committee recommended grant of permission for conduct of the proposed clinical trial removing the word 'interchangeability' from the study title," the minutes of SEC's meeting held on Thursday (29 July) said.

It should be noted that Bharat Biotech's intranasal vaccine is the first of its kind COVID-19 jab to undergo trials in India.

The Hyderabad-based firm is developing a single-dose nasal Covid-19 vaccine in partnership with US-based Washington University.

Earlier on Thursday (29 July), Bharat Biotech chairman Krisna Ella said at a FICCI event that the combination of the two jabs could be a game-changer.

He added that the production of the nasal vaccine can be scaled up easily and that the company can produce 10 crore doses a month.

The company reportedly expects to gather significant data from its studies on the intranasal COVID-19 vaccine in the next two-and-a-half months.