Indias Covid-19 Vaccine Is Found Effective, Boosting National Efforts – The Wall Street Journal

NEW DELHIIndias Bharat Biotech said its Covid-19 vaccine has proved 81% effective at protecting people in a large clinical trial, a report that could invigorate Indias inoculation drive and vaccine-diplomacy efforts.

Bharat Biotech is one of the worlds largest producers of vaccines but is little known outside of the industry. It has been developing a Covid-19 vaccine since the first half of 2020, which New Delhi approved for emergency use this year. India has already administered the vaccine to more than one million people.

Many Indians, however, have said they were reluctant to get the Bharat Biotech shot as they wanted to wait for the results of late-stage trials. Indias vaccination drive has been going much slower than anticipated and some healthcare workers said one of the reasons was that people didnt feel confident about the Bharat Biotech vaccine.

The company said it wanted to clear up any concerns with its announcement on Wednesday. The interim results of its Phase 3 trialwhich gave 25,800 people between the ages of 18 and 98 its vaccine or placebossuggest that it is effective against Covid-19. The company added that it has early indications that it is also effective against the more-contagious U.K. variant of the coronavirus.

Today is an important day for us, the company and also for the country and Indian science, said Krishna Ella, the chairman and managing director at Bharat Biotech.

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Indias Covid-19 Vaccine Is Found Effective, Boosting National Efforts - The Wall Street Journal