India's first coronavirus vaccine hits market in August

The first made-in-India coronavirus vaccine is going to be launched by August 15 this year.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Limited has developed "Covaxin".

The ICMR has planned to launch the vaccine for public health use by August 15, Independence Day.

The government's top medical research body has said a dozen institutes have been selected for clinical trials of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine (BBV152 COVID vaccine).

The institutes selected for the clinical trial are in Visakhapatnam, Rohtak, New Delhi, Patna, Belgaum (Karnataka), Nagpur, Gorakhpur, Kattankulathur (Tamil Nadu), Hyderabad, Arya Nagar, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Goa.

The institutes have been asked by the ICMR to step up clinical trials as it is a "priority project" monitored at the topmost level of the government.

"The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the pre-clinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine," the ICMR said in a letter to the institutes.

"It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15th August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials," said the research body.   

The final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project, the ICMR told the institutes, advising them to speed up approvals related to clinical trials and ensure that subjects are enrolled starting this week.

"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," said ICMR's letter.   

Dhaka/Mukul