Human Clinical Trials For COVID Vaccine Initiated In India: Top Medical Body ICMR - NDTV

Human clinical trials for a vaccine for COVID-19 has been initiated in the country with approximately 1,000 volunteers participating in the exercise for each of the two indigenously developed vaccine candidates, the ICMR said on Tuesday.

Since India is one of the largest vaccine producers in the world, it is the country's "moral responsibility" to fast-track vaccine development process to break the chain of coronavirus transmission, ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava said referring to the two vaccine candidates developed indigenously.

There are two Indian vaccine candidates that have undergone successful toxicity studies in rats, mice and rabbits and these data was submitted to the DCGI, following which both got clearance to start an early phase human trials earlier this month, Dr Bhargava said at a press briefing.

"Any vaccine candidate that is produced or developed in any part of the world will ultimately have to be scaled up by India or by China because these two are major producers of vaccines in the world and that every developed nation or everyone trying to develop a vaccine are aware of it and therefore they are in communication with India for the vaccine distribution ultimately if is developed," he said.