'Shunned' Covaxin neutralises UK variant: Report

January 27, 2021 16:03

Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech, has the ability to neutralise the UK variant of the coronavirus, according to a preprint review by bioRxiv, a free online archive and distribution service for unpublished preprints in the life sciences.

The archive is operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a not-for-profit research and educational institution in New York. Bharat Biotech performed the plaque reduction neutralisation test (PRNT50) using sera collected from the 26 recipients of Covaxin and tested them against the UK variant and heterologous strain, the report said.

"A comparable neutralisation activity of sera of the vaccinated individuals showed against UK-variant and the heterologous strain with similar efficiency, dispel the uncertainty of possible neutralisation escape," the preprint review published in bioRxivs website said.

Covaxin is India's totally indigenous COVID-19 vaccine developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology.

It is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) bio-containment facility, one of its kind in the world. The vaccine is currently under Phase-3 trials and is being used as part of the nationwide immunisation programme for healthcare workers after the Central Licensing Authority granted permission for the sale or distribution of Covaxin for restricted use in emergency situations.

Also read: Doctors refuse to take Covaxin

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

'BJP is out of power this time'

'The nation cannot afford a government indifferent to its plight/'

Gehlot tapped phones of Pilot: Ex-Raj CM's OSD

'They wanted to prove that the BJP was behind all this, which was not the case. Then Deputy CM Sachin Pilot even said that no one was listening to them even when they wanted to tell their side of the story, so they all got together and...

Pant joins elite list of wicketkeepers

The Delhi-based franchise posted their third-highest IPL totals during their match against GT on Wednesday.

How Dropped Candidates Keep Busy

Cricket climate change to medical practice, dropped candidates have their non-political life sorted.

India Inc to tap pvt credit for new projects: PwC

Private credit is fast emerging as a major source of finance for projects in India as several entrepreneurs are looking for short-term debt to bridge the funding gap due to difference in pricing for equity dilution, top officials at PwC...