Serum Institute, Codagenix develop vaccine candidate for coronavirus

Vaccine major Serum Institute of India said a vaccine candidate for the novel coronavirus developed by it in partnership with American biotechnology firm Codagenix is expected to progress to human trials phase within six months.

The vaccine candidate has progressed to the pre-clinical tests phase, that is the animal trial phase, Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd said in a statement.

"I am glad to share that our combined efforts with the team at Codagenix have borne fruit, and we hope to save millions of lives with this vaccine," Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said.

This breakthrough also shows the country's preparedness to counter global epidemics like the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), he added.

"We hope to be ready with the vaccine by early 2022. Our vaccine-virus strain is identical to the original virus and can generate a robust immune response," Poonawalla said.

The cost of the project is up to Rs 300 crore, Serum Institute of India (SII) aims to secure external funding for the project via various global partners, the statement said.

"We are in talks with a number of firms across the globe for potential partnerships. We are also not excluding China as a potential site for our clinical trials. By August-end, we will have data on mice and primates to submit to regulatory authorities to enter into the human trials phase," Poonawalla said.