Covaxin shows 81% efficacy in phase-3 trials, says Bharat Biotech

Firm is gearing up to produce 40 million doses a month. Two Bio-safety Level-3 facilities (which can deal with deadly and contagious viruses) have been set up, third is on the way

Covaxin, India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine to be approved has shown an interim efficacy of 81 per cent in its phase-3 clinical trial, Bharat Biotech said on Wednesday.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has shown 62 per cent efficacy with two full doses, and 90 per cent efficacy in one half and one full dose regimen. Russian vaccine Sputnik V has shown a 91.6 per cent efficacy in interim  efficacy analysis data from 19,866 volunteers

Covaxin, co-developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech, had been approved by the country’s drug regulator in clinical trial mode in January.