Intranasal vaccine phase-II trials may end next month: Bharat Biotech

HYDERABAD: Bharat Biotech is all set to begin the phase II/III clinical trials of its intranasal vaccine, with the first dose expected to be administered by end of this week and the phase II leg of the trial expected to be over next month, the vaccine maker’s chairman & managing director Dr Krishna Ella said on Tuesday.

Ella said after successfully completing phase-I trials of the vaccine on around 375-400 people, the recruitment of around 650 volunteers for phase II has been completed. The trial will be conducted at 10 centres across the country, including Hyderabad.

He said after safety was proven in phase-I trial, the firm is now conducting a heterologous phase-II trial with Covaxin to be given as first dose and intranasal as second dose in first cohort, two doses of nasal vaccine in the second cohort and first dose of nasal vaccine followed by Covaxin as the second dose in third cohort. He said that they will know by next month which combination works better in the trial.