Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech on Thursday said COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin has met the World Health Organisation (WHO) efficacy criteria against the Delta variant. The remarks came following the study of the Lancet Infectious Diseases on the effectiveness of COVAXIN (BBV152) against symptomatic RT-PCR.
"These results compare well with the 65.2 percent efficacy against the delta variant obtained during the controlled phase III clinical trials of COVAXIN conducted among the general population. This study also shows that COVAXIN meets the WHO efficacy criteria for COVID-19 vaccines for the dreaded Delta variant," Bharat Biotech said.
Two doses of Covaxin are 50 percent effective against symptomatic COVID-19, according to the first real-world assessment of Covaxin published in The Lancet. The results of an interim study showed that two doses of Covaxin, also known as BBV152, had 77.8 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease and present no serious safety concerns.
The latest study assessed 2,714 hospital workers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, from April 15 to May 15, who were symptomatic and underwent RT-PCR test for COVID-19 detection. Researchers noted that the Delta variant was the dominant strain in India during the study period, accounting for approximately 80 percent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Covaxin, developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the National Institute of Virology, Indian Council of Medical Research (NIV-ICMR), Pune, is an inactivated whole virus vaccine administered in a two-dose regimen, 28 days apart.
In January this year, Covaxin was approved for emergency use in India for people aged 18 and above. The World Health Organization (WHO) added the vaccine to its list of approved emergency use COVID-19 vaccines earlier this month.
(Edited by : Jomy Jos Pullokaran)
First Published: Nov 25, 2021 3:35 PM IST
Check out our in-depth Market Coverage, Business News & get real-time Stock Market Updates on CNBC-TV18. Also, Watch our channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and CNBC Bajar Live on-the-go!
AAP protest today: Delhi traffic police issues traffic advisory, security at BJP headquarters beefed up
May 19, 2024 11:26 AM
BJP is planning to ban RSS, says Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray
May 18, 2024 8:01 PM
Punjab Lok Sabha elections: Complete list of Congress candidates
May 18, 2024 4:08 PM
Punjab Lok Sabha elections: Check full list of AAP candidates and constituencies
May 18, 2024 12:59 PM