The Government of India launches Mission Covid Suraksha on 29th November 2020, to accelerate
Indian Covid19 Vaccine Development and has Announced the third stimulus package of Rs. 900
Crore for the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for research and development of Indian Covid19
vaccines.
✓ About Mission
✓ Objectives and Funding
✓ Corona virus testing
ABOUT MISSION
The COVID-19 Vaccine development Mission with end-to-end focus from preclinical development through clinical development and manufacturing and regulatory facilitation for deployment, would consolidate all available and funded resources towards an accelerated product development. This will help accelerate development of approx. 5-6 vaccine candidates and ensure that these are brought closer to licensure and introduction in market for consideration of regulatory authorities for introduction in public health systems, to combat further spread of COVID infection.
Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology and Chairperson BIRAC said, “Mission COVID Suraksha is our targeted effort to enable development of indigenous, affordable and accessible vaccines for our country and will complement the National Mission of AtmanirbharBharat”.“India has exhibited enormous strength in vaccine manufacturing and through this National COVID Vaccine Mission, we are confident that our vaccine manufacturers will develop affordable and accessible vaccine not only for India but the world”, she added.
Objectives and Funding
- Phase-I of the COVID Suraksha Mission has been allotted Rs.900 Crore for a period of 12 months.
- The important objectives of the fund will be accelerating pre-clinical& clinical development.
- licensure of COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are currently in clinical stages or ready to enter clinical stage of development.
- Establishing clinical trial sites, and strengthening the existing immunoassay laboratories, central laboratories.
- Suitable facilities for animal studies, production facilities and other testing facilities to support COVID-19 vaccine development.
- The other important objective will be supporting development of common harmonized protocols, trainings, data management systems, regulatory submissions, internal and external quality management systems and accreditations.
- Capabilities for process development, cell line development and manufacturing of GMP batches for animal toxicology studies and clinical trials will also be supported under the Mission.
- A total of 10 vaccine candidates have been supported by Department of Biotechnology so far at both academia and industry and as on date, 5 vaccine candidates are in human trials including the Russian Vaccine Sputnik-V with at least 3 more in advanced stages of preclinical to enter human trials shortly.
A total of 10 vaccines were being administered under the covid suraksha mission but a few of them
have managed to reach the human trials stage:
Sputnik V :
Named after the first artificial earth satellite, Sputnik I, It is the first vaccine to have been approved
and ready to use and vaccine was registered by Russia.
Covaxin :
It is an Indian vaccine and has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collebration with the Indian
Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
ZyCoV-D
This vaccine has been developed in association with the national biopharma mission of department
of biotechnology (DBT) It is a Indian vaccine has been developed by a pharmaceutical company
named Zydus.
BNT162b2
It is developed by Pfizer which is an American pharmaceutical company. It has been able to conduct
all the trials effectively and start its market distribution within a months from the time of its
development.
Corona Virus Testing
Total cases in India – 3.26 Cr
Doses given – 61.6 Cr
Fully vaccinated – 13.9 Cr
% of population fully vaccinated – 10.2%
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