Developed by Hyderabad-based vaccine maker Biological E, Corbevax is expected to be the next vaccine against Covid-19 made in India. The government has already ordered 30 million doses of the vaccine, and Biological E has claimed it could have 90 percent effectiveness against the coronavirus.
The vaccine has yet to be approved by the Medicines Agency in India. However, it is in the planned Mammoth vaccination drive in the country. Biological E recently suggested that Corbevax could be the cheapest vaccine on the market.
The vaccine, if and when approved, will be the third home-made vaccine Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech, who are currently promoting vaccination across India. The third vaccine approved in India is the Russian shock, Sputnik V.
Vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna work with mRNA technology or are made from inactivated SARS-CoV-2.
What technology was used to develop Corbevax?
The Corbevax vaccine was developed using a specific part – the spike protein – of SARS CoV-2 or Sars-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. It was developed using the same technology that was used to develop hepatitis B vaccines.
Corbevax is thus a “recombinant protein subunit” vaccine that injects the spike protein, which helps generate an immune response in advance. Since the spike protein does not contain a virus, the body uses the antibody it creates to fight the real virus when it tries to infect the system.
Biological E has said that the Corbevax vaccine could be the cheapest vaccine against Covid-19 in India.
Corbevax isn’t the only vaccine that teaches the immune system to make antibodies using spike proteins. Novavax – made in India by the Serum Institute – is another such candidate in development.
How was Corbevax developed?
Studies of the recombinant vaccine began at the National School of Tropical Medicine, where scientists have been working on it for over a decade. To develop a vaccine against Covid-19, work began in February 2020 when the gene sequence for SARS-CoV-2 was made available. The scientists first obtained the gene sequence for the spike protein from the virus, which was introduced into yeast to develop it for the development of its copies.
An adjuvant – a helping substance used to develop a vaccine – was then used to stimulate an immune response. Production was then transferred to Hyderabad-based Biological E for manufacture and testing.
Corbevax teaches the immune system to make antibodies using spike proteins.
While other vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna use mRNA techniques or are made from inactivated SARS-CoV-2, Corbevax, like Covishield, tries to separate the spike proteins from the virus and use them to trigger an immune response in the body .
Vaccine price and rollout
The criticality of the demand for vaccinations across India can be understood from the government’s move to pre-order 30 billion doses of the vaccine before it has been approved by Drug Control or the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).
The third phase of clinical trials for the vaccine has been approved by the company but is expected to be completed by July. If all goes as expected, the first batch of the Corbevax vaccine could hit the market in August. Approximately 7.5 crore doses of Corbevax are expected to be available by September.
A cheaper vaccine would help the government expand its vaccination campaign significantly.
Biological E has said that the Corbevax vaccine could be the cheapest vaccine against Covid-19 in India. It is speculated that Corbevax could cost around 150-200 rupees per dose. Sources earlier said India Today TV that the negotiated cost for each Bio-E vaccine dose could be Rs 150 or less.
While the government is negotiating a deal with other vaccine makers like the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech, a cheaper vaccine from Bio-E would help the government significantly expand its vaccination campaign.
एक टिप्पणी भेजें