Breaking News: Indian COVAXIN effective against ALPHA and DELTA variants of the Wuhan Virus

 Here is a short version of what you will read in the link below:

"The US National Institute of Health has said Covaxin “effectively neutralizes” both Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Delta (B1.617) variants of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in what is a major endorsement of the anti-Covid vaccine developed by India’s Bharat Biotech International Limited."

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/covaxin-effectively-neutralises-alpha-delta-covid-19-variants-says-us-national-institute-of-health-101625013670164-amp.html

 Original Virus:     Possible origin Wuhan, China
Alpha variant:       First showed up in the UK
Delta Variant:        First showed up in India

Lamda Variant:     First appeared in Peru


 Note:

Here is a link to the NIH information:

Adjuvant Developed with NIH Funding Enhances Efficacy of India’s COVID-19 Vaccine | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases



Bharath Biotech collaborated with Virovax LLC of the USA headed by IISC researcher.
ViroVax, LLC (virovaxllc.com)

Nasal COVID-19 vaccine goes Phase 1 trial in Hyderabad

Bharath Biotech has launched Phase-I trial (10 volunteers) of its intranasal vaccine BBV154 in Hyderabad,  India. More trials are planned in Chennai, Nagpur and Patna.

A collage of noses from BING

https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/vaccine-updates/story/bharat-biotech-nasal-covid19-vaccine-phase-1-trials-hyderabad-1777780-2021-03-10


More here (March 12, 2021):

https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/bharat-biotechs-intranasal-vaccine-for-covid-19-everything-we-know-so-far-about-bbv154-9408701.html


In addition to Bharath Biotech in India, three other companies/institutionss have been working on a nasal delviery system for the COVID_19 vaccine. They are,

The US company Altimmune is developing a nasal spary called AdCovid - 180 Volunteers

The company in UK, Codagenix is devleoping a nasal spray COVI-VAC in colloboration with the Serum Insitute in India--48 volunteers

China is working on its nasal vaccine, a colloboration betweeen Beijing Wantai Biological, Xiamen University and Hong Kong University-100 volunteers

A note on COVID-19 variants, old and new

  A number of COVID-19 variants have appeared, first time in many parts of the world but seems to be spreading to other countries. Increased travel and relaxing will only promote spreading virus variants and controlling the virus spread will be difficult. 

Here is an image of collated information from various sources (obviously incomplete) across the Internet.

 

Here is a list of variants identified by MAKO laboratories.

Here are some links that you may be interested in (the titles are in bold):

 

Covid-19: The E484K mutation and the risks it poses

https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n359

Covid-19: Novavax vaccine efficacy is 86% against UK variant and 60% against South African variant

https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n296

Scientists In US' Oregon Find B.1.1.7 Variant With 'E484K', Mutation Also Found In India

https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/rest-of-the-world-news/scientists-in-us-oregon-find-b-dot-11-dot-7-variant-with-e484k-mutation-also-found-in-india.html

Another New Coronavirus Variant Now Detected In 13 Countries (B.1.125)

https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/global-event-news/another-new-coronavirus-variant-now-detected-in-13-countries.html

There is also a new variant from India, the Indian variant:

The Indian variant is given the designationB.1.617 which has two mutations, E$*$Q and L452R

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/news/local/double-mutant-covid-19-variant-first-discovered-in-india-now-found-in-the-us/77-176b256f-35df-4931-923a-0fb5cd527678?jwsource=cl

More here:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/indian-covid-19-variant-found-in-u-s-across-globe-as-foreign-help-arrives-11619545081

One has to be careful as this variant according to Indian scientists evade immune response:

https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-scientists-flag-virus-mutations-that-could-evade-immune-response-2021-05-01/

Breaking news: COVAXIN getting ready for nasal delivery

The COVAXIN vaccine developed by Bharath Biotech is now getting ready to try the nasal variant, which according to Dr. Gillurkar from a site chosen to monitor COVAXI vaccine efficacy. As COVAXIN is whole-virion inactivated, it targets all parts of the virus and makes it more effective.

Source: Gillurkar's Hospital- Facebook

The nasal variant in a Phase I and Phase II study will start at Dr. Gillurkar's Hospital in Nagpur, India. The injectable variant Phase I and Phase II studies were completed at this hospital. According to Dr. Gillurkar, "We are all set to host the trials for nasal Covaxine in next two weeks. Enough scientific evidences are available that vaccines given through nasal route are more effective than injected ones". 

The other advantages of nasal route are no brainer. It will drive the cost so far down that it may emerge as the most preferred. Let us all look forward to it.

Read more at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/80127595.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst "


Also read:

https://www.msn.com/en-in/health/medical/covaxin-controversy-doctors-in-trial-sites-chosen-by-icmr-say-human-trials-cant-be-fast-forwarded-anticipate-6-month-observation-period/ar-BB16oNfo

Dr. Krishna Ell's interview regarding the Bharth Biotech's Vaccine

 Bharath Biotech has law behind it for emergency use in India. It is the Phase 3's efficacy that is being questioned.  The vaccine has been undergoing peer review in journals with three of them already reviewed. The company is kosher as they have developed vaccines for Ebola, HiN1, Chikungunyay, etc.

Watch this Video.

COVID-19 vaccine testing status in India

According to WHO 26 vaccine candidates are being developed. Decades of development have been squeezed into less than a year. The infection has been rampant in India with over 2.2 million and the fatality of 44,000 in India.

Three vaccines are in different phases of testing:

1. Bharath Biotech vaccine
2. Zydus Cadila's DNA vaccine
3. The Oxford vaccine manufactured by Serum Institue of India (SII) has been approved for Phase II and Phase III trials at 17 sites within a week.

[1. and 2. have completed Phase I and will be beginning Phase 2 clinical trials]

Other news:

• Immunology and vaccine research in Bengaluru will start in collaboration with Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta
• Serum Institue of India will be partnering with GAVI and Bill Gates & Melinda foundation to deliver 100 million doses and manufacturing starting in August 2020.
• Moderna started testing Phase III with 30,000 study subjects on July 27

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Summarized from Hindustan Time of Aug 11,2020
https://tinyurl.com/y6qjsu9q
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or

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/covid-19-latest-updates-3-indian-vaccines-under-trial-russia-to-allow-civilian-use-this-week/story-eUNncepriH354QPlOjXflK.html