Oxford COVID-19 vaccine: Serum Institute to start final phase of trial from Monday

  • The phase III trial of 'Covishield' vaccine will begin at Sassoon hospital from next week, said Dr Muralidhar Tambe, Dean of Sassoon General Hospital
  • The vaccine maker earlier shortlisted 17 sites in India for the Phase II clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine

Written By Anulekha Ray
Updated19 Sep 2020, 06:01 PM IST
There will be 4,000-5,000 participants in the phase III trial of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine in India.
There will be 4,000-5,000 participants in the phase III trial of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine in India.

The Serum Institute of India is all set to begin the final stage of the clinical trial of University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc.’s experimental vaccine, starting from next week. The late-stage trial will take place at the Sassoon General Hospital in Pune, according to news agency PTI.

"The phase III trial of Covishield vaccine will begin at Sassoon hospital from next week. It is likely to start on Monday." Dr Muralidhar Tambe, Dean of Sassoon General Hospital, told the news agency.

In the third phase of clinical trial, around 150-200 volunteers will administer a dose of Covishield, Tambe said. "Some volunteers have already come forward for the trial," Tamble further added. The Sassoon General Hospital in Pune has started enrolling volunteers from Saturday. "Those who are willing to volunteer for the vaccination should contact the hospital," Tambe encouraged.

The phase II trial of Covishield was conducted at Bharti Vidyapeeth Medical College and King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital in Pune.

Pune-based drug maker signed a deal with British-Swedish company AstraZeneca to manufacture COVID-19 vaccine candidate, developed by the University of Oxford. The vaccine maker earlier shortlisted 17 sites in India for the Phase II clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine. At least 1,600 candidates aged between 18 to 55, participated in the Phase II clinical trial.

On September 10, the drug maker had paused the clinical trials of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate in India in the wake of AstraZeneca suspending the clinical trials in other countries. Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr VG Somani on September 15 granted permission to Serum Institute of India to resume trial, while revoking its earlier order of suspending any new recruitment for phase II and III trial.

COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the Jenner Institute, a part of the Nuffield Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford, showed a positive result in its initial trial. According to a report published in the British medical journal, The Lancet, the COVID-19 vaccine produced a dual immune response in people aged 18 to 55.

The University of Oxford's possible COVID-19 vaccine could be rolled out by the end of the year but there is no certainty, the lead developer of the vaccine. "The end of the year target for getting vaccine roll-out, it's a possibility but there's absolutely no certainty about that because we need three things to happen," Sarah Gilbert earlier told.

Serum Institute of India will begin the trial of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Novavax in next month. US drug developer Novavax Inc said it was doubling its potential COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity to two billion doses annually under an agreement with Indian drug maker. As part of the expanded agreement, Serum Institute will also manufacture the antigen component of the vaccine.

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

MoreLess
First Published:19 Sep 2020, 06:01 PM IST
Business NewsScienceHealthOxford COVID-19 vaccine: Serum Institute to start final phase of trial from Monday

Get Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!

  • Employment Type

    Most Active Stocks

    Tata Motors share price

    819.50
    12:21 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    13.8 (1.71%)

    Tata Steel share price

    145.65
    12:21 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -1.9 (-1.29%)

    Ashok Leyland share price

    227.00
    12:21 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    5 (2.25%)

    Indian Oil Corporation share price

    139.90
    12:21 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -0.5 (-0.36%)
    More Active Stocks

    Market Snapshot

    • Top Gainers
    • Top Losers
    • 52 Week High

    Wipro share price

    580.00
    12:00 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    11.15 (1.96%)

    Coforge share price

    8,055.50
    12:00 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    101.65 (1.28%)

    Indian Hotels Company share price

    731.40
    11:59 AM | 11 NOV 2024
    -1.65 (-0.23%)

    Page Industries share price

    47,445.60
    11:49 AM | 11 NOV 2024
    -542.2 (-1.13%)
    More from 52 Week High

    Asian Paints share price

    2,551.45
    12:00 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -217.8 (-7.86%)

    Aarti Industries share price

    438.30
    12:00 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -36.45 (-7.68%)

    CE Info Systems share price

    1,898.55
    11:59 AM | 11 NOV 2024
    -157.25 (-7.65%)

    Equitas Small Finance Bank share price

    64.86
    12:00 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    -3.83 (-5.58%)
    More from Top Losers

    ITI share price

    332.65
    12:00 PM | 11 NOV 2024
    29.05 (9.57%)

    Power Finance Corp share price

    485.40
    11:59 AM | 11 NOV 2024
    35.95 (8%)

    Biocon share price

    340.50
    11:59 AM | 11 NOV 2024
    19.25 (5.99%)

    Endurance Technologies share price

    2,560.70
    11:58 AM | 11 NOV 2024
    135.4 (5.58%)
    More from Top Gainers

    Recommended For You

      More Recommendations

      Gold Prices

      • 24K
      • 22K
      Bangalore
      78,775.00-600.00
      Chennai
      78,781.00-600.00
      Delhi
      78,933.00-600.00
      Kolkata
      78,785.00-600.00

      Fuel Price

      • Petrol
      • Diesel
      Bangalore
      102.92/L0.00
      Chennai
      100.80/L0.00
      Kolkata
      104.95/L0.00
      New Delhi
      94.77/L0.00

      Popular in Science

        HomeMarketsPremiumInstant LoanMint Shorts