Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine shows 100% efficacy

Bharat Biotech’s reported that interim analysis results from the Phase III trial of its Coronavirus vaccine COVAXIN showed a 100% efficacy against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. It has an impact on the drop in hospitalisations.

The Coronavirus vaccine was developed by the company with seed strains received from the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Virology, COVAXIN is a highly purified and inactivated vaccine. The Phase III study had 25,800 subjects aged 18 to 98 years, including 10% aged above 60 years.Bharat Biotech’s noted that the first occurrence of PCR-confirmed symptomatic Covid-19 in 14 days on receiving the second vaccine in healthy adults at baseline, formed the trial’s primary endpoint.

The second interim analysis is based on accruing over 87 symptomatic Covid-19 cases. However, owing to the current surge in cases, 127 symptomatic cases were reported, providing a point estimate of vaccine efficacy of 78% against mild, moderate and severe disease.It also showed 70% efficacy against asymptomatic Covid-19 was observed indicating reduced transmission in individuals receiving COVAXIN. Safety and efficacy results from the final analysis will be available in June and the final report will be submitted to a peer-reviewed publication.

Bharat Biotech’s chairman and managing director Dr Krishna Ella said that COVAXIN has demonstrated an excellent safety record in human clinical trials and usage under emergency use. The efficacy data against severe Covid-19 and asymptomatic infections is highly significant, as this helps reduce hospitalisations and disease transmission, respectively.The company has delivered millions of vaccine doses and administered in India and many other countries with outstanding safety records marked by negligible or no appearance of adverse events after vaccination.