COVID-19: Are Corbevax and Covovax vaccines effective against Omicron variant?

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday granted approval to two indigenously developed vaccines and one anti-viral drug for the treatment of adult patients of COVID-19 having “a high risk of progression of the disease.” Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandviya announced that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and Health Ministry has approved the CORBEVAX vaccine, COVOVAX vaccine, and anti-viral drug Molnupiravir. In the aftermath, the two new vaccines have become what people are terming as 'game-changers' in India's battle against the SARS-CoV-2 and its variants including the latest Omicron strain. 

Are the new vaccines efficient against Omicron?

CORBEVAX (BioE COVID-19) is an RBD protein sub-unit vaccine against coronavirus developed by biopharmaceutical firm Biological E. in association with Baylor College of Medicine and Dynavax Technologies (DVAX). CORBEVAX marks the third indigenously developed vaccine after COVAXIN and Covishield. According to the Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical firm, the vaccine has shown promising results in Phases 1, 2, and 3 of clinical trials. It is worth mentioning that the last two phases of the trials involved as many as 1268 subjects in the age group from 18-80 years having moderate to high-risk co-morbidities.

While the final data revealing the efficacy of the jabs is yet to be released by the pharma giant, it has submitted the data to the World Health Organisation (WHO) seeking EUL. A report by ANI stated that a review of the submitted data was done on Monday, December 25.  Notably, the union government, in August, made an advance payment of Rs 1,500 crore to Hyderabad-based manufacturer Biological E to reserve 30 crore doses of its under-development COVID-19 vaccine– Corbevax. According to health officials, the vaccine should be administered intramuscularly in two doses of 0.5 ml each with intervals of 28 days (Day 0 and 28) and has to be stored between 2 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees celsius.

COVOVAX, a Nanoparticle Vaccine, will be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). According to World Health Organisation (WHO), the vaccine has shown the efficiency of 90% and could help in tackling more transmissible variants. It is imperative to note that COVOVAX (NVX-CoV2373)is the Indian version of Novavax and had got WHO’s Emergency Use approval on December 17. As of now, no data has been released on its efficiency against the Omicron (B.1.1.529) or the Delta B.1.617.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2. 

WHO in a statement said, “In India, the vaccine will be manufactured by Serum Institute of India under the trade name Covovax and has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India”.

Image: AP