When will India Biotech's Corona virus vaccine "Kovacin" arrive, the company replied

New Delhi, Sunday 1 November 2020

Pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech is planning to launch its vaccine Covid-19 in the second quarter of next year. A senior official of the company said that the company has the plan if the necessary approvals are obtained from the regulatory authorities of India.

The company is currently focusing on third phase tests at various locations across the country. The company has developed a potential vaccine covacin in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

"If we get all the approvals after establishing strong experimental evidence and data, effectiveness and safety data in the final phase of our test, we offer it in the second quarter of 2021," said Sai Prasad, Executive Director, Bharat Biotech International.

He said that after the company sought the approval of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct a third phase clinical trial from the Drug Controller General of India, preparations for the Phase III trial have started.

Prasad said, "In this phase, vaccine and placebo recipients will be given two doses, which will be held at 25 to 30 locations in 13-14 states. One hospital can register about 2,000 people.

When asked about the investment in vaccines, he said, "Our investment in the development of vaccines and new manufacturing facilities is around Rs 350-400 crore."

This includes our investment in conducting Phase 3 clinical trials over the next three months. We want to supply for both government and private markets. We are also in preliminary discussions with other countries for potential supply. "

Prasad said the cost of the vaccine has not been decided yet, as the company is still focusing on the cost of product development. "Our immediate focus is to successfully test the third phase on the sites," he said.