- Bharat Biotech declared Covaxin would utilize adjuvant Alhydroxiquim-II to improve immune response.
- The ViroVax is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
- Bharat Biotech got the authorization for human trials at the end of June from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
THD NewsDesk, Hyderabad: On Monday, Vaccines major Bharat Biotech declared its Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin will utilize adjuvant Alhydroxiquim-II to improve immune response.
An adjuvant is a pharmacological or immunological agent that boosts the immune response of a vaccine. It helps in yielding more antibodies and stronger immunity.
Presently, Kansas-based ViroVax LLC has authorized its adjuvant to apply Covaxin and is going through the advanced stages of clinical tests in India.
Covaxin is a deactivated vaccine obtained from a strain of the Sars-CoV-2 virus that breeds Covid-19, isolated at the Indian Institute of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The inactivated virus has been formed with ViroVax’s adjuvant to create a vaccine candidate.
Currently, Bharat Biotech is administering Phase 2 human trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate. They got the authorization at the end of June from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
Krishna Ella, Chairman, and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, said, “There is a critical need for the development and availability of adjuvants that induce greater antibody responses to vaccine antigens, thus resulting in long-term protection against pathogens. Adjuvants also enhance the sustainability of the global vaccine supply on account of their antigen-sparing effect. Our partnership with ViroVax resonates with Bharat Biotech’s relentless efforts towards developing safe and effective vaccines coupled with long-term immunity.”
He further added, “The widely used adjuvant Aluminium hydroxide in the development of Sars-CoV-2 vaccines is known to induce a Th2 based response (which are important for the eradication of extracellular parasites and bacterial infection). The Th2 based response has a theoretical risk of vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory diseases (VAERD or ADE). We have used Imidazoquinoline class of adjuvants (TLR7/8 agonists), which are known to induce Th1 based response which further reduces the risk of ADE (Anti-Body Dependent Enhancement).”
Sunil David of ViroVax, said “ViroVax is delighted to partner with Bharat Biotech. This has been possible because of support from the National Institutes of Health.”
The ViroVax is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), it is a fragment of the National Institutes of Health. These are the medical research centres under the US Department of Health.