Covaxin: Science, not pride will help India build trust in this vaccine

The hasty nod for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, developed in collaboration with the ICMR and National Institute of Virology, has raised eyebrows in the scientific and healthcare communities

Like many things in India nowadays, the science of vaccine approval has also run into the politics of chest-thumping nationalism.

Alongside authorising Covishield, the Covid-19 protection developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca Plc and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India Ltd., the country’s drugs regulator on Sunday gave a go-ahead to an indigenous vaccine for which critical phase three trial data isn’t yet available.

The hasty nod for Bharat Biotech International Ltd.’s Covaxin, developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology, has raised eyebrows in the scientific and healthcare communities about a