Aishila Kar, Amity University Kolkata
ICMR officials said on Tuesday that The Drugs Controller General of India has given authorization for conducting Phase-1 human clinical trial for an “antisera” that was developed by injecting inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in horses and can be a treatment for COVID-19. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in alliance with a Hyderabad-based vaccine maker Bio E developed the ‘antisera’.
ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said on Tuesday that with Biological E Limited, they developed a horse ‘antisera’ and they just got clearance for conducting clinical trials for that.
The ‘antisera’ is still to undergo human clinical trials to show safety and efficacy.
The study provides information for the potential of generating highly purified F(ab’)2 from equines against SARS-CoV-2 that can show consistent as well as effective neutralization activity. Further, the in-vivo test for the efficacy of this cost-effective product could pave the way for clinical evaluation. Besides, this may prove as an alternative to already existing plasma for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
While plasma found from Covid-19 patients could serve the identical purpose, ICMR said the study of antibodies, their effectiveness, and concentration keep vary from patient to patient. As per the study, immunization done for 10 healthy horses with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 and after 21 days of immunization, plasma samples were tested. The results of the plasma samples indicate that the presence of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG antibodies as present in ELISA with neutralising capacity.
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