India COVID-19 vaccine tracker — Oxford’s phase III trial and Bharat Biotech, Zydus Cadila’s phase II trial results likely in November

• Phase II trial result data of Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and ZyCovD by Zydus Cadila is likely to be out by early November.
• The ministry is hoping for results of phase III trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine by November-end or early December.
• Meanwhile, the government said it is making arrangements to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in the country.

India is witnessing a downward trend in new COVID-19 infections daily — and has managed to record 6.2 million recoveries. However, the upcoming festival season may become a significant concern for India. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, on October 13, cautioned people to be more careful and take the necessary precautions against coronavirus.

There are at least 30 potential COVID-19 vaccines in the works in India now — three of which are in an advanced trial stage. The Indian government hopes to get more than one coronavirus vaccine by next year.

Bharat Biotech, Zydus Cadila’s phase II trial results by early November
India’s Health Ministry says phase II trials results of two advanced stage coronavirus vaccine candidates — Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and ZyCovD by Zydus Cadila — are expected to be unveiled by early November.

“By early November, we should get to know the Phase-2 trial results for both the vaccine candidates,” said Dr VK Paul, during the health ministry’s weekly briefing on Covid-19.

Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine results by November end
The ministry is hoping for results of phase III trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine by November-end or early December. Meanwhile, the government said it is making arrangements to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in the country.

“We have a main expert committee for vaccines, and there are also multiple sub-committees that have been formed to look at various aspects and stages of vaccine procurement and distribution. They are currently into mapping cold storage facilities both in the government and private sector,” said Rajesh Bhushan, health secretary, Government of India.

Dr Reddy’s reapplies for phase II/III clinical trials of Sputnik V
Dr Reddy's Laboratories has reapplied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking permission to conduct combined phases II and II human clinical trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in India. The firm has now submitted a revised protocol for carrying out the clinical trials.

The Health Ministry has also sounded a warning — that India may witness a second wave of COVID-19 as viruses seem to thrive in the winter season. “Like us, the virus too likes these large gatherings and can multiply the number of cases exponentially. These gatherings can be super-spreader events,” Paul said.

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