If the government decides, emergency authorization of the Covid-19 vaccine could be considered: the ICMR at the parliamentary panel | News

A senior ICMR official told a parliamentary panel on Wednesday that phase two clinical trials of two locally developed Covid-19 vaccine candidates were nearing completion and that emergency vaccine clearance could be considered if the Center decides. The Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Balram Bhargava, informed members of the Standing Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs that candidate vaccines developed by Bharat Biotech, Cadila and the Serum Institute of India are at various stages of development. testing, said an MP present at the meeting. The Covid-19 vaccine candidates coordinated by Bharat Biotech and Cadila are nearing completion of phase two trials. The one managed by the Serum Institute of India and developed by the University of Oxford will enter Phase 2 (b) trials this weekend in which 1,700 patients have been identified at 17 centers across the country, said the deputy. According to MPs who attended the meeting, when asked how long people will live with the pandemic, Bhargava replied that normally the final trial takes around six to nine months, but if governments decide it will be emergency clearance could be considered. Responding to questions from the panel about the saliva test authorized by the FDA in the United States for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2, Bhargava informed that the collection of gargle water samples is already under investigation and that more details will be available soon, according to another MP. who attended the meeting. Members of the parliamentary committee who transcend party lines complemented the CIRM in particular and the medical fraternity in general for their committed role in the fight against the pandemic.