Team BioXone
Covid-19 continues to spread globally like wildfire. The vaccine in development is the only hope for prevention and containment. Every capable country is into investing millions to fast track development of vaccines, telescoping the duration of clinical trials from years to months.
Russia launched its home-brewed vaccine – SPUTNIK V, in August, based on Adenovirus vectors. India too has agreed to take on the Russian vaccine after clinical trials on Indians. For a vaccine to be pre-qualified for global use by the World Health Organization (WHO) it requires data for all three phases of a clinical trial (Phase I-III). Phase III is crucial to know the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
During Phase I and II, there are reports that about 14% of 300 volunteers who received the vaccine have had mild self-limiting side-effects (weakness, muscle pain, and rise in temperature and chills). The dose for Phase III will be administered 21 days apart, the trial is in 40,000 volunteers, and results are expected by end of October 2020.
The sudden response of euphoria among those affected is a matter of urgent response, as people getting discharged after phase II, might not take any preventions later. Experts say that SPUTNIK V has entered a trial that will evaluate its worth or term it as a Russian Roulette.
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