According to reports, Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals submitted data from the phase-II and phase-III trials of India’s first mRNA COVID vaccine to the regulator Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Friday.
In addition, the business has created an Omicron-specific vaccine that will be investigated for effectiveness and immunogenicity in people.
Earlier, Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), stated that this vaccine would be valuable in the future for the treatment of other diseases as well, and that India is on its way to becoming a vaccine powerhouse.
“India is heading towards becoming a vaccine superpower and the fact that these vaccines are going to be available for other diseases,” said Dr Bhargava.
On the relevance of the mRNA vaccine, Dr V K Paul, Member (Health) Niti Aayog, stated, “This vaccine’s mRNA platform is a valuable asset now, both in the aftermath of Covid and for other illnesses. Malaria, dengue fever, or tuberculosis are all possibilities. We are still looking for economical and efficient vaccinations for a number of illnesses.”
Gennova Biopharmaceuticals has presented mRNA vaccination phase-II and phase-III results. Vaccine recommendations will only be made following a review by the Subject Expert Committee (SEC).
India began immunising children aged 12 to 14 years old on March 16 as part of an extension of its Covid-19 vaccination programme.
Biological E, a Hyderabad-based business, administers the Corbevax vaccination to children in this age group. It’s the country’s first Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) protein sub-unit immunisation against Covid-19.
Furthermore, all people over the age of 60 are now eligible for the Precaution Dose, since the comorbidity criterion for this age group has been abolished. The Precaution Dose (which is the same as the previous two doses) should be given 9 months (36 weeks) following the second immunisation.