'Covaxin has 65.2% efficacy against Delta variant', says Bharat Biotech after Lancet study

Indian Pharma major Bharat Biotech has issued a statement after a Lancet study stated that two doses of Covaxin are  50 per cent effective against symptomatic COVID-19. In its statement, Bharat Biotech has said that the effectiveness result of 50 per cent achieved during the peak COVID-19 Selta variant in India in a high risk study that was conducted on physicians and healthcare workers in a hospital environment provides insights into the efficacy and effectiveness of Covaxin. 

"The results compare well with 65.2 per cent efficacy against Delta variant obtained during controlled phase 3 clinical trials of COVAXIN conducted among general population. Study also shows, COVAXIN meets WHO efficacy criteria for COVID-19 vaccines for dreaded Delta variant," said Bharat Botech.

Covaxin shows 50 per cent effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 in real-world assessment: Lancet Study

Two doses of Covaxin are 50 per cent effective against symptomatic COVID-19, according to the first real-world assessment of India's indigenous coronavirus vaccine published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. The results of an interim study recently published in The Lancet showed that two doses of Covaxin, also known as BBV152, had 77.8 per cent 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–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 per cent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Covaxin

Covaxin is developed by Hyderabad-based Indian pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the National Institute of Virology, Indian Council of Medical Research (NIV-ICMR). Covaxin is administered in a two-dose regimen, 28 days apart. The vaccine was approved for emergency use in India for people aged 18 and above. The World Health Organisation (WHO) too has added the vaccine to its list of approved emergency use COVID-19 vaccines earlier this month. 

(With PTI inputs)