New Delhi US pharma giants Pfizer and Moderna may not have received approval for their COVID-19 vaccines had they started phase-three clinical trials during the second coronavirus wave, Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director Krishna Ella said. which was powered by the Delta version. on Wednesday.
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, maker of the COVID-19 covaccine, said the efficacy of its vaccine would have been 85% against the original strain of the virus – which was first detected in China.
“I’m telling you honestly. If Pfizer and Moderna had conducted Phase III clinical trials during the second wave, they would not have received a license for the product,” Ella said at an event organized by the Technology Development Board (TDB). said. Department of Science and Technology.
“When they (Pfizer and Moderna) licensed it, the Wuhan tension (dominated). So they were able to get 90% efficacy, but now the same vaccine is showing 35% efficacy in Israel,” he said.
The delta variant is known to be more virulent than the earlier strains of SARS-CoV2.
“… and Covaxin is the only vaccine … the regulatory process was delayed and we got stuck in the second wave. And (we) were lucky that in the second wave, we got about 77% efficacy. But if it was the Wuhan strain and If there was no Delta we would have got 85% efficacy,” said Ella.
Covaxin is one of three vaccines being administered in the country. The drug regulator in the country has given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Moderna & Johnson & Johnson.
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