COVAXIN SHOWS PROMISE AGAINST UK STRAIN: STUDY
Covaxin, the coronavirus vaccine made by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), appeared to be able to work against the more infective B.1.1.7 variant (first identified in the UK), the developers said in a scientific paper on Wednesday.
Researchers from Bharat Biotech and ICMR’S National Institute of Virology carried out lab tests that showed antibodies triggered by the vaccine neutralised the new variant almost as well as it did the old virus. The findings are crucial since the mutation, of which there are at least 150 cases in India, is believed to spread faster.
“A comparable neutralization activity of the vaccinated individuals sera showed against Uk-variant and the heterologous strain with similar efficiency, dispel the uncertainty of possible neutralization escape,” the researchers said in their submission to biorxiv. The paper is yet to be peer reviewed.
NEW DELHI: Covaxin, the coronavirus vaccine made by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), appeared to be able to work against the more infective B.1.1.7 variant (first identified in the UK), the developers said in a scientific paper on Wednesday.
Researchers from Bharat Biotech and ICMR’S National Institute of Virology carried out lab tests that showed antibodies triggered by the vaccine neutralised the new variant almost as well as it did the old virus. The findings are crucial since the mutation, of which there are at least 150 cases in India, is believed to spread faster than the virus that has been more dominant till now, and may also be more lethal.
“A comparable neutralization activity of the vaccinated individuals’ sera showed against Uk-variant and the heterologous strain with similar efficiency, dispel the uncertainty of possible neutralization escape,” the researchers said in their submission to biorxiv on January 26. The paper is yet to be peer reviewed.
B.1.1.7, first identified in UK’S Kent carries 17 changes that influence its structure, including a tweak in what is known as the receptor binding domain – the part of the virus that is responsible for entry into host cells. This change is due to a mutation known as N501Y, which is believed to make the Sars-cov-2 more infective and lead to higher volumes of virus when someone is infected, making the infection itself more serious.
While Covaxin has shown it can trigger antibodies among vaccinated people, it is still not proven to be effective in preventing Covid-19 since it has not progressed as far along as the other vaccines. In phase 1 and 2 trials, which have only a fraction of the number of people as phase 3 trials, Covaxin appeared to be safe and did not cause any serious adverse reactions. “Uncertainty dispelledicmr-bbil vaccine (Covaxin) works against Uk-variant… Sera collected from Covaxin recipients (showing 99.6% seroconversion following vaccination) neutralized Uk-variant…equivalent immunogenicity of Covaxin against predominantly circulating strains in India as well as Uk-variant identified in the country,” ICMR said in a statement on Wednesday.
Bharat Biotech too, in a statement, said: “Covaxin effectively neutralizes UK variants of Sarscov-2, reducing the possibility of mutant virus escape.”
Altogether, there are three variants that are worrying scientists around the world for how they influence the behaviour of the virus.