Bharat Biotech's Covaxin to be evaluated as COVID-19 vaccine candidate in US

New Delhi, Feb 19: Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech said its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin will be evaluated as a vaccine candidate for the disease in the United States, the company on Saturday stated in a statement.

"Ocugen, Inc (NASDAQ: OCGN) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted its clinical hold on the Company's Investigational New Drug application (IND) to evaluate the COVID-19 vaccine candidate, BBV152, known as Covaxin outside the United States. Ocugen, Inc is co-developing Bharat Biotech's Covaxin vaccine candidate for COVID-19 in USA and Canada," Bharat Biotech said.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had informed that Covaxin has been granted approval for emergency use in 13 countries as of January 31, 2022.

80 pc of India's adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19: Mandaviya

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that 80 per cent of India's adult population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 175 crore, according to official data.

India has crossed the historic milestone of administering both doses of coronavirus vaccine to 80 per cent of its adult population, Mandaviya said in a tweet. "With the mantra of 'sabka prayas' under the leadership of PM @NarendraModi ji, the country is moving at a fast pace towards 100 per cent immunisation," he said.

According to official data, around 96.5 per cent of the country's adult population has been administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Over 2 crore adolescents in the 15-18 age group have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the government said. Agencies