In India, mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines was previously prohibited, and the third dose had to be of the same vaccine used for the first and second doses. (Express Photo/File) Vaccine manufacturer Biological E’s protein subunit Covid-19 vaccine The Cor be VAX has become the first to be approved by the country’s drug regulator as a heterologous booster in adults, meaning those who have received Covishield or COW IN as their first or second dose can take it as a third booster shot.
In India, mixing and matching Covid-19 vaccines was previously prohibited, and the third dose had to be the same vaccine used for the first and second doses. With the Drug Controller General of India (DC GI) now approving the heterologous booster, the government will have to take a call on whether it should be included in the country’s free vaccination drive. Also read: "Explained" The merits and concerns of mixing Covid-19 vaccines India has so far administered 193.9 crore doses of vaccine in total, of which 101 crore are first doses, 89 crore second doses, and 3.5 crore precaution doses, according to data from the government’s COW IN portal. In a statement Saturday, the Hyderabad-based company said, "BE’s clinical trial data showed that COR BE VAX booster dose provided significant enhancement in immune response and the excellent safety profile required for an effective booster." () Express Premium with ad-lite for just Rs.2/day | Limited Time Offer Click here to subscribe The approval came after a trial involving 416 people who were administered Cor be VAX or placebo (an agent with no therapeutic value) six months after having received two doses of either COW IN or Covishield. The company, in its statement, said the levels of neutralizing antibodies – antibodies that specifically attack or block the Sars-CoV-2 virus – increased significantly as compared to the placebo. After the booster dose of Cor be VAX, neutralizing antibodies against Omicron were found in 91% of those who had received Covishield earlier and 75% of those who had received COW IN. Not just antibody levels, the company also found cell-mediated immunity to be higher than compared to the placebo. "The Cor be VAX heterologous booster vaccine was well tolerated and safe." "There were no severe or adverse events of interest for 3 months of follow-up after the booster dose was administered," the company said. More from Political Pulse As evidenced by the SP strain, the BJP is once again relying on OBC for the Azamgarh and Raipur LS by elections. Consensus talks in Sanger by poll end; AAP, Alkali DAL line up names A Twist in a Haryana Tale: The BJP's JJP U-turn is intended to thwart the Cong's Makes RS bid. Currently, the vaccine is in use for the immunization of children between the ages of 12 and 14 years under the government program. It is also available on payment for children between 12 and 17 years at private vaccination centers. The company said that, so far, 51.7 million doses of the vaccine have been administered to children across the country, with 100 million doses having been supplied to the government.
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