Haffkine gets approval for clinical trial of anti-TB vaccine for Covid patients

After almost a month of waiting, Haffkine Institute, Parel has got permission to run clinical trials on the anti-tuberculosis vaccine to treat Covid-19 patients.

After almost a month of waiting, Haffkine Institute, Parel has got permission to run clinical trials on the anti-tuberculosis vaccine to treat Covid-19 patients. However, the trial will be conducted at BJ Medical College, Pune. Covid-19 is a new strain of coronavirus which doesn’t have any vaccination or specific medications. To find a solution, Haffkine Institute, last month submitted a proposal to conduct a clinical trial to use the anti-tuberculosis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, as a treatment. On Friday, they received a nod from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

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“The vaccine helps to improve the immune system among people, so it is believed that it can be used as a treatment for patients with Covid. Preliminary research has shown that it has helped to neutralise the virus to some extent,” said Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, secretary, Medical Education and Drugs Department (MEDD).

Around 35 people with moderate and severe infection will be part of the trial. Usha Padmanabhan who currently heads the Department of Cell Biology at Haffkine Institute will be in-charge of the trial. Dr Rajesh Deshmukh, managing director of the Haffkine Institute said, “Unlike other new drugs, it would be easier to treat patients as this vaccine is already available in markets. We have already set up the laboratory for the trial at the college.”