Bharat Biotech's Covaxin shows encouraging results in clinical trials: Research paper

Covaxin, a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Bharat Biotech, showed long-term antibody and T- cell (immune) memory responses three months after the shot in phase 1 volunteers and tolerable safety outcomes in Phase 2 study, the city-based company has said, suggesting the antibodies may persist for six to 12 months. In phase 2, it also showed enhanced humoral and cell- mediated immune responses and the results were found in the safety and immunogenicity clinical trial of the vaccine candidate.

Memory T cells are antigen-specific T cells that remain over a long-term after an infection has been eliminated. Covaxin, being developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology, is now undergoing phase-3 trials.

In a double-blind, randomised, multi-centre phase 2 clinical trials, a total of 380 healthy children and adults were randomised and administered two vaccine formulations in as many doses (four weeks apart). In a follow-up of the phase 1 trial, Covaxin (BBV152) produced high levels of neutralising antibodies that remained elevated in all participants three months (at day 104) after the second vaccination.