Phase-III trials of the India-made Covaxin vaccine show that it is 93.4% effective against severe symptomatic COVID-19 and works against the Delta variant as well, Hyderabad- based pharma firm Bharat Biotech announced on Saturday.

The data demonstrated 65.2% protection against the Delta variant, first identified in India, that led to a surge in infections during the second wave in April and May. The variant is also on the rise in countries such as the US and Europe.

India's home-grown vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and Indian Institute of Virology, also showed an effectiveness of 77.8% against symptomatic COVID-19 in the trial.

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The Phase-III data came as Ocugen Inc , which is co-developing Covaxin with Bharat Biotech for the U.S. market, prepares to file a request for full U.S. approval.

Bharat Biotech also said the safety analysis for Covaxin demonstrates adverse events reported were similar to placebo, with 12% of subjects experiencing commonly known side effects and less than 0.5% of subjects feeling serious adverse events.

Bharat Biotech which has been making 10 million doses of Covaxin a month will now step up production to 23 million doses a month. Besides, the government has asked five public sector companies to start producing the vaccine as well so that it can be made more widely available under the accelerated vaccination drive.

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Last month, vaccine maker AstraZeneca Plc also said its vaccine was effective against the Delta and Kappa variants, citing a study.

India has been administering the AstraZeneca vaccine, made domestically by the Serum Institute of India under the Covishield brand. While 70 million doses a month of the vaccine are being currently manufactured, the output will be increased to around nearly 100 million doses in July .