Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin 77.8% effective against Covid-19: Lancet

India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has been 77.8 per cent effective against symptomatic Covid, as demonstrated by the phase 3 data, states Medical journal Lancet.

The efficacy data demonstrated 70.8 per cent protection against all variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The efficacy rate was confirmed through the evaluation of 130 confirmed cases, with 24 observed in the vaccine group against 106 in the placebo group.

As per the phase 3 data, Covaxin was found to be 65.2 per cent effective against the Delta variant, 93.4 per cent effective against severe symptomatic Covid and 63.6 per cent effective against asymptomatic Covid.

According to India Today, Dr. Krishna Ella, CMD of Bharat Biotech said , “The peer-review of Covaxin phase III clinical trial data in The Lancet, an authoritative voice in global medicine, validates our commitment to data transparency and meeting the stringent peer-review standards of world-leading medical journals. This accomplishment reflects the undeterred commitment by my team members at Bharat Biotech, our public partners, Indian Council of Medical Research, National Institute of Virology, and the trust imposed by our trial participants who made this happen.”

The phase 3 trial efficacy and safety study involved 25,800 volunteers across 25 sites in India and is the country’s largest-ever clinical trial conducted for a Covid-19 vaccine.

Dr. Balram Bhargava, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said, “I am delighted to see that the phase III efficacy data has also been published in The Lancet, one of the most reputed journals worldwide. This itself speaks highly about the strong position of Covaxin amongst other global front-runners Covid-19 vaccines.”

“The bench to bedside journey of Covaxin in less than 10 months showcases the immense strength of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” along with the Indian academia and industry in fighting against the odds and carving a niche in the global community,” he said.

On November 3, the World Health Organisation had granted emergency use approval for Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin.

The announcement by the WHO came after the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), an independent advisory committee of the world body, recommended Emergency Use Listing(EUL) status for Covaxin, and days after the TAG sought “additional clarifications” from Bharat Biotech on October 26 to conduct a final “risk-benefit assessment” of the vaccine for global use.