India’s homegrown vaccine Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Indian Institute if Virology, effectively neutralises both Alpha and Delta variants of coronavirus, the US' National Institute of Health (NIH) has said.
"The results from two studies of blood serum from people who had received Covaxin suggest that the vaccine generates antibodies that effectively neutralise the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and B.1.617 (Delta) variants of SARS-CoV-2, first identified in the UK and India, respectively," the NIH said.
The top American health research institute, which has a history of strong scientific collaboration with India, also said that an adjuvant developed with funding from it has contributed to the success of the highly efficacious Covaxin, which has been administered to roughly 25 million people till date in India and elsewhere.
Adjuvants are substances formulated as part of a vaccine to boost immune responses and enhance a vaccine's effectiveness.
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America’s top pandemic expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a conference call on Tuesday, “This is something where we’re still gaining data on a daily basis. But the most recent data, was looking at convalescent Sera of COVID-19 cases and people who received the vaccine used in India, the Covaxin. It was found to neutralise the 617 variants (Delta).”
“So, despite the real difficulty that we’re seeing in India, vaccination could be a very, very important antidote against this,” Dr. Fauci added.
Covaxin comprises a disabled form of SARS-CoV-2 that cannot replicate but still stimulates the immune system to make antibodies against the virus. Published results from a phase 2 trial of the vaccine indicate that it is safe and well tolerated, the NIH said, adding that safety data from a phase 3 trial of Covaxin will become available later this year.
"Meanwhile, unpublished interim results from the phase 3 trial indicate that the vaccine has 78 per cent efficacy against symptomatic disease, 100 per cent efficacy against severe COVID-19, including hospitalisation, and 70 per cent efficacy against asymptomatic infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," it said.
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Bharat Biotech expects to produce an estimated 700 million doses of Covaxin by the end of 2021," the NIH said.
"I am pleased that a novel vaccine adjuvant developed in the US with NIAID support is part of an efficacious COVID-19 vaccine available to people in India," Dr Fauci said. Financial issue in Brazil Meanwhile Brazil will suspend a $324 million Indian COVID-19 vaccine contract that has mired President Jair Bolsonaro in accusations of financial irregularities, the health minister said on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report from Rio De Janeiro.
The deal to buy 20 million doses of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin shot turned out to be a political hot potato become a headache for Bolsonaro after whistleblowers went public with allegations of financial irregularities in the deal. One Health Ministry official said he alerted the president about his concerns.
Bolsonaro, whose popularity has faded as Brazil's COVID-19 death toll climbed past 500,000, has denied any wrongdoing, saying on Monday he was not aware of any irregularities.
No consignment of Covaxin has been sent to Brazil as yet and Bolsonaro has played down the issue saying no money has been paid to the Indian company.
Brazil Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said at a news conference his team would probe the allegations during the suspension of the contract.
"According to the preliminary analysis of the CGU, there are no irregularities in the contract but, for compliance, the Health Ministry chose to suspend the contract," the ministry said in a statement.
