Additional vaccines: Revise trial protocols, SEC tells drugmakers

An professional physique trying into requests by Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech to conduct human testing of further Covid-19 vaccines has requested the businesses to revise their medical trial protocols.
The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) underneath India’s apex drug regulatory physique (CDSCO) has advisable that SII conduct its mid- to late-stage medical trials (section 2/3) “with placebo or other vaccine as the comparator for which justification is required”. This follows a gathering on January 13, the place the SEC had requested the Pune agency to switch its proposal to match the vaccine, Covovax (developed by American biotech agency Novavax), with a “comparator” vaccine as a substitute of a placebo.
A comparator vaccine is one which has already been launched for the aim that the brand new vaccine is being examined, whereas a placebo is an inactive vaccine that appears just like the vaccine being examined. In this case, the SEC had famous that vaccines in opposition to Covid-19 — Covishield and Covaxin — have already been authorised within the nation and may due to this fact be used because the comparator in SII’s testing of Covovax.
However, the SEC modified its opinion on January 18 and 19 after SII introduced its proposal together with “various comparator options”. It has requested the Pune agency to as soon as once more revise its protocol accordingly.

In the case of Bharat Biotech, which is making an attempt to check a single-dose intranasal Covid-19 vaccine ‘BBV154’, the SEC on Jan 18 and 19 advisable that the corporate conduct section 1 medical trials utilizing 75 volunteers. The committee requested the agency to submit security and immunogenicity information for its consideration earlier than it proceeds to the second section of the trial. Bharat Biotech must revise its protocol accordingly.
So far, SII and Bharat Biotech have acquired restricted approvals in an emergency state of affairs for his or her Covishield and Covaxin respectively.