This booster dose, after it gets cleared by the regulatory authorities, would be administered to the beneficiaries six months after they receive the second dose of Covaxin.
Covaxin (Representative image)
Bharat Biotech Limited has begun trials for the “third” booster dose of its COVID-19 jab Covaxin, the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker said on May 24. Trials have begun at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi and Patna, Bharat Biotech said.
This booster dose, after it gets cleared by the regulatory authorities, would be administered to the beneficiaries six months after they receive the second dose of Covaxin.
The permission to conduct the clinical trials for the third booster dose was granted to Bharat Biotech in April by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
The study would be conducted on volunteers who have received the second dose of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago. The trials are aimed at assessing the immunogenicity, safety, reactogenicity and tolerability of the Covaxin booster dose.
Also Read | Moderna CEO advocates third vaccine dose to protect people at risk
Apart from Bharat Biotech, two major global vaccine producers – Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc – have expressed the need for a third booster dose to strengthen the immunity against COVID-19.
“We believe that our vaccine will be effective for a comparable period, except that the arrival of variants increases the threat level. This is why we must anticipate and vaccinate all people at risk with a third dose by the end of the summer,” news agency ANI quoted Moderna’s chief executive officer Stephen Bancel as saying on May 23.
Similarly, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on April 16 that a a likely scenario is that there will be a need for a third dose, “somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination”.
