ICMR seeks to launch COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin by 15th August.
In a letter to all the medical institutions chosen for Covaxin’s trials, ICMR Chief urges them to complete all phases of testing by then. Experts say it is impossible.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Friday wrote to the medical institutions and hospitals, chosen for trials of the COVID-19 vaccine- Covaxin, to fast track and complete all the phases of clinical & human trials of the vaccine by 15 August, this year. The vaccine is being developed in collaboration with Bharat Biotech and ICMR is planning to launch the vaccine by the Independence Day this year.
Covaxin is of topmost priority to the government – ICMR Chief:
The candidate vaccine, developed by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech with the ICMR and NIV (National Institute of Virology), recently got the nod from DCGI for human clinical trials. ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava, in his letter to principal investigators of the 12 sites, stated that “Covaxin is a top priority project which is being monitored at the top-most level of the government. It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by August 15 after completion of all clinical trials. BBIL is working expeditiously to meet the target; however, the final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project.”
The letter by the ICMR chief also warned that any non-compliance would be viewed very seriously as Coronavirus cases in India surged to 625,544 on Friday with the death toll over 18,000-mark.
Experts call ICMR’s aim, “impossible”:
Health and medical experts expressed their skepticism and deemed the ICMR’s target as “impossible” & “long shot” as many of them believed that all three phases of trials cannot be concluded within a month and a half.
