PGI to test leprosy vaccine on Covid-19 patients

To conduct trials of Mw vaccine along with AIIMS, Delhi and Bhopal

The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has been selected among three premier health institutes of the country to conduct trials of Mw vaccine, used to treat leprosy, on coronavirus disease patients.

The dedicated Covid-19 ward at the PGIMER, Chandigarh.

The institute in a release stated that patients with Covid-19 have higher cytokine levels, and an immunomodulator may thus be of potential benefit in managing them.

A heat killed Mycobacterium w (Mw), originally developed as an immunomodulator for leprosy, potentially decrease the cytokine storm seen in patients with Covid-19. In a prospective randomised trial, the PGIMER, Chandigarh, along with All India Institutes Of Medical Sciences, Delhi and Bhopal, will be conducting this study in hospitalised Covid-19 patients.