Former Union health minister Harsh Vardhan holds up a vial of Covaxin, AIIMS Delhi, January 16, 2021. Photo: Reuters/Adnan Abidi/File photo
New Delhi: Bharat Biotech on Wednesday said a study has demonstrated that a booster dose of Covaxin has a neutralising effect on the Omicron and Delta variants of COVID-19.
The study conducted at Emory University demonstrated that subjects who received a booster dose of Covaxin (BBV152) six months after getting a primary two-dose series have witnessed neutralising of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Delta variants, the vaccine major said in a statement.
Earlier studies had demonstrated the neutralising potential of Covaxin against other SARS-CoV-2 variants — Alpha, Beta, Delta, Zeta and Kappa, it added.
Citing the study results, Bharat Biotech noted that more than 90 per cent of all individuals boosted with Covaxin showed neutralising antibodies.
“As the dominant COVID-19 variant throughout the world, Omicron poses a serious public health concern. Data from this preliminary analysis show individuals receiving a booster dose of Covaxin have a significant immune response to both the omicron and delta variants.
“These findings suggest that a booster dose has the potential to reduce disease severity and hospitalizations,” Emory Vaccine Centre assistant professor Mehul Suthar, who led the laboratory analysis, noted.
Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella said the vaccine major is in a continuous state of innovation and product development for Covaxin.
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“The positive neutralisation responses against the omicron and the delta variants, validates our hypothesis of a multi-epitope vaccine generating both humoral and cell mediated immune responses.
“Our goals of developing a global vaccine against COVID-19 have been achieved with the use of Covaxin as a universal vaccine for adults and children,” he added.
The study conducted at Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta was sponsored by Ocugen, Inc. Bharat Biotech provided the sera of the subjects from the phase 2 study.