ICMR partners with BBIL for developing indigenous COVID-19 vaccine

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday announced that it has partnered with the Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to develop a fully indigenous vaccine for COVID-19 using the virus strain isolated at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday announced that it has partnered with the Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to develop a fully indigenous vaccine for COVID-19 using the virus strain isolated at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. "The ICMR and BBIL have partnered to develop a fully indigenous vaccine for COVID-19 using the virus strain isolated at the ICMR's NIV, Pune," a ICMR statement said.

The strain has been successfully transferred from NIV to BBIL and work on vaccine development has been initiated between the two partners. While the ICMR-NIV will provide continuous support to BBIL for vaccine development, the ICMR and BBIL will seek fast-track approvals to expedite vaccine development, subsequent animal studies and clinical evaluation of the candidate vaccine. (ANI)