AIIMS Delhi begins Covaxin trials for children, results likely in 6-8 months
The trial on children has already started at AIIMS Patna to see if the Bharat Biotech jab is suitable for children.
FollowThe All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi will begin screening children aged 2 to 18 years for Covaxin clinical trials from today. Covaxin is an indigenously developed anti-Covid vaccine. It is developed by Hyderabad-based biotechnology company Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The trial on children has already started at AIIMS Patna to see if the Bharat Biotech jab is suitable for children.
Participants would be given the vaccine after their screening report comes.
The trial is to be conducted on 525 healthy volunteers. In the trial, the vaccine will be given by intramuscular route in two doses at day 0 and day 28.
Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor at Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, informed that the screening of children for trials of Covaxin, India's first indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine, among those aged between 2 and 18 started at the AIIMS Delhi on Monday, June 7. Rai said that the beginning of the vaccination drive for children in India will be based on the safety and effectiveness data that will be obtained after 6-8 months of trials.
India's drug regulator had granted permission for conducting the phase 2/3 clinical trial of Covaxin in the age group 2 to 18 years on May 12.
If the clinical trials are successful, India will join the list of countries like the US, China, Germany and others that have approved vaccination for children. Experts have warned that the third wave could hit the country between October and December. It will affect kids the most.
In the US, the Pfizer vaccine was recently approved for children aged 12 to 15 years. China has approved the emergency use of Coronavac, an anti-Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by the Chinese company Sinovac, for children aged 3 to 17 years.
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