Covid-19. ICMR-Serum Institute recruit first volunteers on Novavax trial

Our Bureau Updated - March 26, 2021 at 11:07 AM.

A medical worker inoculates a man with the Covaxin Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a health centre in New Delhi on March 25, 2021, as India recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases for the first time since November while a new wave of infections takes hold a year after one of the world's tightest Covid-19 lockdowns was imposed. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)

The first three volunteers have been recruited for the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine bridging study, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said.

Also read: India inoculates over 5 crore people against Covid-19

The ICMR has partnered with Serum Institute of India (SII) to conduct Phase II and III bridging trials for Covovax, the vaccine from the US company Novavax. Pune’s Nobel Hospital is one of the trial sites and the volunteers have been given their first short. The trial will enrol 1,600 people.

The development comes evens as some multinationals seek a waiver on such trials during a pandemic, for their vaccines.

Also read: Vaccine shortage: Serum Institute caught in cross-country crossfire

This is the second Covid-19 vaccine that SII brings into India, the first being AstraZeneca-Oxford University’s Covid-19 vaccine that is presently being rolled out in the country and many other countries.

Published on March 26, 2021 03:28