Moving closer to being able to develop the country’s first vaccine against dengue, drug-makers Serum Institute of India and Panacea Biotec have applied to the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) call for ‘Expression of Interest’ for collaborative Phase-III clinical trials for indigenous manufacturers.
Phase-III clinical trial is being done for evaluation of efficacy, along with safety and immunogenicity of tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate developed by Indian manufacturers. Trials could start close to August for the adult vaccine, confirmed a senior Health official.
According to ICMR, dengue virus disease causes significant morbidity and mortality across the globe; in India, 2 to 2.5 lakh cases are reported annually.
