ICMR in partnership with Bharat Biotech to develop indigenous Covid-19 vaccine

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has started its mission in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to develop a fully indigenous vaccine for Covid-19 .The experimental process on this regard will be executed at ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV)  Pune, using a virus strain,the body said.

The strain has been successfully transferred from NIV to BBIL, it added.

“Work on vaccine development has been initiated between the two partners. The ICMR-NIV will provide continuous support to BBIL for vaccine development. ICMR and BBIL will seek fast-track approvals to expedite vaccine development, subsequent animal studies and clinical evaluation of the candidate vaccine,” the health research body said in the statement.

Meanwhile,the death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 2,109 and the number of cases climbed to 62,939 in the country on Saturday, according to the Union health ministry.