COVID-19 vaccine: Japan approves Bharat Biotech's Covaxin booster dose for travellers

Amid a major surge in COVID-19 cases in Japan with over 2,00,000 cases being reported on a daily basis recently, the island nation approved Bharat Biotech's Covaxin booster dose for travellers entering Japan. The island nation has already approved vaccines from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Janssen and Novavax.

Notably, the company in a statement on July 20 mentioned that according to a study mentioned in the Nature scientific reports, the COVID-19 Covaxin vaccine has proven to be 'safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic in subjects in controlled clinical trials'.

Bharat Biotech tweeted and said, "We are proud to announce, Japan has approved Covaxin booster dose for travellers. Another global recognition of the effectiveness of our universal Covid vaccine."

The Quarantine Station, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Japanese government also tweeted and mentioned Bharat Biotech's Covaxin in the booster dose section of the statement released. The other names mentioned include the vaccines from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Janssen and Novavax.    

Study confirms Covaxin's effectiveness

A study published in the Nature scientific reports, a high-impact journal, involved 184 subjects who were given a booster dose and evaluated for safety, neutralising antibody responses against variants of concern, binding antibodies against spike protein, RBD, N proteins, and for memory T and B cell responses to demonstrate cell-mediated immunity.

Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, said, “Our team has now demonstrated that COVAXIN is a multi-epitope vaccine with antibodies against spike, RBD and N proteins. Post booster dose, it has proven neutralising antibody responses against variants of concern and long-term protection through memory T and B cell responses. We have now achieved our goal of developing a safe and efficacious vaccine with long-term protection against a spectrum of variants.”

Covaxin can be given to adults and children alike, with both primary and booster doses making it a truly universal vaccine. 

Image: PTI