COVAXIN clinical trials on at NIMS

Hyderabad: The process of conducting clinical trials for coronavirus vaccine, COVAXIN, started at the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad on Tuesday. The country's first home-grown Covid-19 COVAXIN vaccine, developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR and the National Institute of Virology, received the nod from the Drug Controller-General of India (DCGI) for human clinical trials. The Indian Medical Research Council (ICMR) has established 12 clinical trial centres, including NIMS, for conducting clinical trials on COVAXIN. Hospital authorities at the NIMS have made arrangements to this effect.

It was originally announced that the trials would take place from July 7 but it was later postponed. Doctors drew blood from individuals on Tuesday and sent the samples to designated Delhi laboratories.

The first dose will be tested at 12 selected clinical trial centres across the country, for a total of 375 people. Clinical trials are likely to be conducted on about 60 people at NIMS, it has been said. On the other hand, with the number of cases of coronavirus increasing every day in the world, the ICMR hopes to make the vaccine available at the earliest opportunity.