The Central Drug Authority has cleared use of two more vaccines as well as an antiviral drug to better fight against the novel coronavirus.?
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The vaccines to receive recent approvals are Corbevax, Covovax and the antiviral drug Molnupiravir. The announcement was made via Twitter by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
Corbevax is India¡¯s first homegrown vaccine that works on RBD protein sub-unit, according to Mandaviya. The vaccine is developed by Hyderabad-based firm Biological-E in collaboration with the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, US and American company Dynavax Technologies.?
The tech behind is similar to that of existing Hepatitis B vaccines, with the protein in the vaccine produced by the yeast Pichia pastoris. The vaccine holds a variant of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein along with adjuvants aluminium hydroxide gel and CpG 1018.
Covovax is a nanoparticle vaccine being produced by the Serum Institute of India under a license issued by Novavax, and is a part of COVAX facility portfolio. The vaccine is also validated by the World Health Organisation after assessment under the WHO EUL procedure.?
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Prakash Kumar Singh, director, government and regulatory affairs at SII, had sought market authorisation for Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations from DCGI. Novavax Inc had announced a licence agreement with SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and India in August 2020.
The antiviral pill was developed by US-based pharmaceutical giant Merck. It recently received emergency use authorization from the US¡¯s FDA. In India, the vaccine will be manufactured by 13 companies.?
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The drug underwent a trial in more than a thousand people, with mild side effects such as diarrhoea and nausea in only a small percentage of patients. However, it isn¡¯t as effective, with around 30 percent efficacy compared to around 90 percent provided by Pfizer¡¯s drug.
According to Madaviya, the vaccine will only be offered to adult patients under emergency situations and those who have high risk of the progression of the novel coronavirus.
Disclaimer: While there have been several different types of treatments being given to COVID-19 patients across the world, there isn¡¯t any one drug that has worked as a sure-shot treatment yet. Don¡¯t self medicate and always consult your doctor or medical health professional for any symptoms.