India Looking at Launching COVID-19 Vaccine on Independence Day
.jpg)
India’s first indigenous vaccine against COVID-19 could be launched latest by 15th of August (Independence Day). The Head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Balram Bhargava has written a letter to 12 hospitals and institutions regarding ‘fast-tracking’ of human field trials so that the vaccine could be launched for the larger public latest by August 15.
The vaccine is being developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) in partnership with ICMR and was cleared for human trials by the Drug Controller General of India, on June 29. In his letter to the 12 institutions selected for the trials, Bhargava has asked them to enrol candidates for trials no later than July 7 so that vaccines could be given to them and their response recorded.
The ICMR chief wrote, “You have been chosen as a clinical trial site of the BBV152 COVID vaccine. ln view of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic and urgency to launch the vaccine, you are strictly advised to fast track all approvals related to initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated no later than 7th July 2020. Kindly note that non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, you are advised to treat this project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse.”
The ICMR chief wrote, “You have been chosen as a clinical trial site of the BBV152 COVID vaccine. ln view of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic and urgency to launch the vaccine, you are strictly advised to fast track all approvals related to initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated no later than 7th July 2020. Kindly note that non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, you are advised to treat this project on highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse.”
Latest Videos