Indian regulation authority allowed the urgent use of Covaxin, the locally produced vaccine from Covid-19. Reuters reported that on January 4.
The inoculation was allowed for "limited use in emergency situations in the interests of society, as a preventative measure within clinical tests, especially in the context of infection with mutant strains".
"COVAXIN has been developed by Bharat Biotech, a company based in Hyderabad, with backing from the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Not much is known about the safety and efficacy of COVAXIN. The company says it has submitted all data to the drugs regulator", reads the story.
The first tests of Covaxin on humans began in June 2020. In October, Bharat Biotech claimed it was negotiating with more than 10 countries that showed interest in its candidate vaccine. Besides, the company claimed that the drug was safe, which was confirmed by first and second phases of clinical tests. Phase 3 of these tests kicked off in November, with 23,000 volunteers involved.
Ocugen, Inc. (USA) made a deal with Bharat Biotech, agreeing on the joint development of tthe candidate vaccine for the U.S. market.