Bharat Biotech's `Covaxin' has neutralizing potential against Omicron: Study

Hyderabad: A new study has revealed that Bharat Biotech's Covaxin (BBV152) has the neutralizing potential against Variants of Concern including, Alpha, Beta, Delta, Zeta, Kappa, and Omicron.

The study will be published on the pre-print server, medRXiv, shortly.

in a statement, Hyderabad-based vaccine maker said sera samples from individuals who received a booster of Covaxin(BBV152) were observed to be effective in neutralizing Omicron and Delta variants on a live virus neutralization. The neutralization activity of Covaxin -boosted sera was comparable to what has been observed in mRNA vaccine-boosted sera against the Omicron variant.

More than 90 percent of all individuals who received a Covaxin booster showed neutralizing antibodies. "All participants received an initial two-dose schedule of COVAXIN (BBV152) at Day 0 and Day 28. Omicron poses a serious public health concern," said Mehul Suthar, Assistant Professor, Emory Vaccine Center and who led the laboratory analysis.

"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," Mehul added.

Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech said they are in a continuous state of innovation and product development for Covaxin.

"The positive neutralization responses against the Omicron and Delta variants validate 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 said

"The global impact of Omicron shows us that the fight against COVID-19 continues, and we're encouraged that these data demonstrate the value of Covaxin as a primary and booster vaccine," said Dr. Shankar Musunuri, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder, Ocugen, Inc.

"These results show how a broad-spectrum vaccine has the potential ability to address ever-shifting public health challenges such as new variants and mutations, Dr. Shankar added.

Covaxin is formulated uniquely such that the same dosage can be administered to adults and children alike. Covaxin is a ready-to-use, liquid vaccine, stored at 2 - 8°C, with 12 months shelf life and multidose vial policy. The same doses of vaccine can also be used for two-dose primary immunization in adults and children and for booster dose vaccinations, making it truly a universal vaccine.