COVID-19: Bharat Biotech completes phase III trials of nasal vaccine; DCGI to review data

In the latest development concerning COVID-19 vaccinations, Bharat Biotech has finally completed the clinical phase III trials of COVID-19 nasal vaccine and will now submit its data to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) next month, informed Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech on Saturday. 

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Dr Ella while informing the same also said that data analysis is presently going on and will be submitted by next month to the regulatory agency. "If everything is okay, then we will get permission to launch and it will be the world’s first clinically proven nasal COVID-19 vaccine", he added. 

Notably, Dr Ella was in Paris as a speaker to attend the Viva Technology 2022 event where India was declared country of the year.

Earlier in January, DCGI had granted permission to Bharat Biotech to conduct standalone phase III trials on its COVID-19 nasal vaccine following which it almost took 6 months to complete all the three phases. 

'Those who had taken the second dose must take the booster dose': Bharat Biotech Chairman and MD

While speaking on the need to intensify vaccinations, Dr Ella further asserted that those who have already received the second dose of COVID vaccines must take the booster doses. 

On the booster dose of COVID-19, Krishna said that those who had taken the second dose must take the booster dose.

“Booster dose of vaccine gives immunity. I always say the booster dose is a miracle dose for every vaccination. Even in children first, two doses don’t give much immunity, but the third dose gives an amazing response to the child. The same thing for adults also. The third dose is very important for adults. COVID-19 can’t be eradicated 100 per cent. It will be there and we have to live with it and handle it and more intelligently how to control it,” he said.

Notably, Bharat Biotech which is a leading manufacturer of COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin in the country recently also became one of the Covid vaccines to prove that Covaxin is safe, well-tolerated, and immunogenic in the pediatric population of the 2-18 year age group in phase II/III trials. 

Image: ANI/Shutterstock