Science

Vaccines, the only long-term strategy to combat Covid-19: Bharat Biotech chief

G Naga Sridhar Hyderabad | Updated on April 16, 2020 Published on April 16, 2020

Krishna M Ella, CMD, Bharat Biotech   -  Mohammed_Yousuf

Developing a vaccine is the only way to tackle Covid19, according to Krishna M Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International.

“There are many promising treatments being studied thoroughly all over the world, although only a vaccine should be considered as a long-term strategy to combat Covid,’’ Ella told BusinessLine.

International collaboration is also vital for developing a vaccine, according to Ella.

Bharat Biotech had recently announced that it was in the process of developing a vaccine, CoroFlu, for Covid-19.

“Even for CoroFlu, we have applied a similar approach — which is an international collaboration of virologists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and vaccine maker FluGen,’’ he said.

“Our approach is to develop a vaccine, which is very easy to deliver even by an anganwadi worker. We are also optimistic that CoroFlu will protect patients from both the flu virus and the novel coronavirus. The vaccine is targeted at the critical adult population,’’ he said.

Probable timeline

When asked about the probable timeline for getting the vaccine ready, Ella said efforts are on at the UW-Madison’s Influenza Research Institute to assess CoroFlu’s safety and efficacy in animal models .

The testing in laboratory animal models and development of the vaccine is expected to take approximately four-six months. CoroFlu may be used in human clinical trials by the fall of 2020, he said.

Preventing spread

According to Ella, the best way to deal with the virus threat is to “adhere and respect the lock-down and practice safe distancing.’’

“Wash your hands and wear a mask when you go out. Talk to your doctor and follow his advice as well as the treatment protocol,’’ he said.

Bharat Biotech has so far successfully developed 10 different viral vaccines. It has delivered more than 5 billion doses of viral vaccines, including anti-rabies vaccine after the acquisition of Chiron Behring from GSK.

It has also supplied 80 per cent of polio vaccine for the Indian government’s national immunisation programme.

 

Published on April 16, 2020

A letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

The coronavirus crisis has changed the world completely in the last few months. All of us have been locked into our homes, economic activity has come to a near standstill. Everyone has been impacted.

Including your favourite business and financial newspaper. Our printing and distribution chains have been severely disrupted across the country, leaving readers without access to newspapers. Newspaper delivery agents have also been unable to service their customers because of multiple restrictions.

In these difficult times, we, at BusinessLine have been working continuously every day so that you are informed about all the developments – whether on the pandemic, on policy responses, or the impact on the world of business and finance. Our team has been working round the clock to keep track of developments so that you – the reader – gets accurate information and actionable insights so that you can protect your jobs, businesses, finances and investments.

We are trying our best to ensure the newspaper reaches your hands every day. We have also ensured that even if your paper is not delivered, you can access BusinessLine in the e-paper format – just as it appears in print. Our website and apps too, are updated every minute, so that you can access the information you want anywhere, anytime.

But all this comes at a heavy cost. As you are aware, the lockdowns have wiped out almost all our entire revenue stream. Sustaining our quality journalism has become extremely challenging. That we have managed so far is thanks to your support. I thank all our subscribers – print and digital – for your support.

I appeal to all or readers to help us navigate these challenging times and help sustain one of the truly independent and credible voices in the world of Indian journalism. Doing so is easy. You can help us enormously simply by subscribing to our digital or e-paper editions. We offer several affordable subscription plans for our website, which includes Portfolio, our investment advisory section that offers rich investment advice from our highly qualified, in-house Research Bureau, the only such team in the Indian newspaper industry.

A little help from you can make a huge difference to the cause of quality journalism!

Support Quality Journalism
vaccines and immunisation
coronavirus
bharat biotech
This article is closed for comments.
Please Email the Editor
You have read 1 out of 3 free articles for this week. For full access, please subscribe and get unlimited access to all sections.