Covaxin can take on new Covid strains too: Bharat Biotech

Hyderabad : India's leading vaccine maker says its candidate Covaxin will effectively deal with new variant of coronavirus.

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's chairman and managing Director Krishna Ella has also said the protein components of inactive Covaxin will take care of mutations.

Delivering the ninth Dr Manohar V.N. Shirodkar Memorial Lecture organised by the Telangana Academy of Sciences, Krishna Ella also observed that any virus is expected to have a lot of mutation.

His comments came amid growing concerns over the efficacy of vaccines upon new variant of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, currently circulating the world.

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech is developing Covaxin collaborating with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

It has completed phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. The phase 3 efficacy trials of Covaxin were in progress with 20,000 volunteers, Ella said.

The leading vaccine maker is also developing a single-dose nasal vaccine for Covid-19.

Ella also said in the speech on "Innovation in Public Health - Our Journey," that there were 40,000 unknown viruses and 10,000 zoonotic viruses.

There's a need to focus on neglected and unknown diseases that could become global pandemics in future.

"All neglected diseases start from developing countries. Americans and Europeans are scared of us because these neglected diseases can turn into pandemics," he said.

IANS report with edits