There are many Covid-19 vaccines in India that are in the development process or undergoing clinical trials in India.
As of now, there are five vaccines that are used against Covid-19, among which the most commonly used in India are: Covishield and Covaxin for which the Government of India has given approval for emergency use.
Sputnik V has also given the authority to implement its use in India on April 12th, 2021 and from May 1st, 2021, received in Hyderabad, India, and been in limited use.
The ZyCoV-D is an intradermal vaccine and it has become the 5th vaccine in India against Covid-19, after emergency approval. The first four vaccines were: Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V, and Moderna. A brief description of the ZyCoV-D vaccine and Moderna is given below in this article.
Even there are many vaccines that are in the developmental phase in India. I will discuss below each vaccine in a simple table to understand it better.
To start, first let’s have a brief idea about the different phases of vaccine development trials, which a vaccine has to pass.
Phases of Vaccine development:
There are following phases of Clinical trials which every vaccine has to go through it:
| Phases of vaccine development/trial | Purpose |
| Pre-clinical | Vaccine development in laboratory |
| Phase 1 Clinical trial (8-10 individual participants) | For testing vaccine safety |
| Phase 2 Clinical trial (50-100 individual participants) | For testing vaccine immunogenicity i.e., production of antibodies against virus |
| Phase 3 Clinical trial (30k -50k individual participants) | For testing actual protection offered by the vaccine |
The vaccines which are under trials and upcoming in India are given below:
| Type/ Mechanism of vaccine | Manufacturer | Phase of Clinical Trial | |
| Covishield | Chimpanzee adenovirus vector vaccine | Serum Institute of India, Pune in collaboration with AstraZeneca | Phase III |
| Covaxin | Inactivated vaccine | Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Hyderabad in collaboration with ICMR, India. | Phase III- for equal and >18years Phase II/III- 2-18years |
| Sputnik V | Human Adenoviral vector vaccine | Dr. Reddy Laboratory, Hyderabad, India in collaboration with Gamaleya National Center, Russia | Phase I – Approved Phase II & III – Ongoing |
| ZyCoV-D | Plasmid DNA vaccine | Zydus Cadila | Phase I &II – Approved Phase III – Ongoing |
| Biological E’s novel Covid-19 vaccine | Receptor Binding Domain of SARS-CoV-2 (Protein subunit vaccine) | Biological E. Limited, Hyderabad in collaboration with MIT, USA | Phase I &II – Ongoing |
| BBV154 – Intranasal vaccine | Adenoviral vector vaccine | Bharat Biotech Ltd, Hyderabad, India | Phase I- Approved Phase II & III- Ongoing |
| COVOVAX | recombinant spike protein nanoparticle vaccine (SARS-CoV-2 rS) with Matrix-M1 adjuvant | Indian Council of Medical Research and Serum Institute of India | Phase I – Approved Phase II & III – Ongoing |
| HGCO19 vaccine | mRNA Vaccine | Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited in collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, Seattle, USA | Phase I&II- Ongoing |
| NVX-Co V2373 | Protein Subunit | Serum Institute of India, Pune in collaboration with Novavax | Phase III Efficacy: 89.7% & 86.3% against B.1.1.7/501Y.V1 |
| Inactivated rabies vector platform | Inactivated vaccine | Bharat Biotech International Ltd., Hyderabad in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson University, USA | Phase I |
| Vesiculo Vax Platform | attenuated, recombinant vesicular stomatitis (VSV, VesiculoVax) vaccine | Aurobindo Pharma ltd., Hyderabad in collaboration with Aurovaccine, USA | Phase II & III – Ongoing |
The Covaxin vaccine is under Phase III trial for pediatric age group 2yrs to 18 years. Novavax has also shown a promising role in the UK with an efficacy of 86.3% against the B.1.1.7/501Y.V1 variant. BBV154 – Intranasal vaccine is also showing a vital role in the non-invasive technique of intranasal administration through a dropper.
ZyCoV-D vaccine
The ZyCoV-D vaccine is a three-dose vaccine, having a special feature of intradermal administration.
| Type of Vaccine | Plasmid DNA vaccine |
| Dose | 0.2ml (0.1 ml in each arm) |
| Course | 3-doses |
| Route of Administration | Intradermal |
| Schedule | 28 days apart from each (Day 0, 28, 56) |
| Vaccination during Pregnancy | Not recommended |
| Vaccination >18 years of age | Recommended |
| Vaccination for paediatric age | Recommended for ≥ 12yrs |
| Vaccination to Lactating mother | Not Recommended |
| Storage and transportation | +20C to +80C; Stable at 25C (Room temperature) for 3 months |
Moderna vaccine
Manufacturer:
Moderna is manufactured by Moderna Therapeutics, USA. It is imported into India by Cipla. Moderna was Authorized in the United States from May 14, 2021.
| Type of Vaccine | mRNA vaccine |
| Dose | 0.5ml |
| Course | 2-doses |
| Route of Administration | Intramuscular |
| Multidose vial policy | 15 doses per vial |
| Schedule | 28-42 days apart |
| Vaccination during Pregnancy | Not Recommended |
| Vaccination >18 years of age | Recommended |
| Vaccination for paediatric age | Recommended for ≥ 12yrs |
| Vaccination to Lactating mother | Recommended |
| Storage and transportation | -25℃ to -15℃ (6 months) and 2-8℃ (unpunctured up to 30 days) 8-25℃ (unpunctured up to 12 hrs.) |
Formulations used in Moderna vaccine:
- Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA),
- Lipids (SM-102, polyethylene glycol [PEG] 2000
- Dimyristoyl glycerol [DMG],
- cholesterol, and
- 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine [DSPC]),
- Tromethamine hydrochloride,
- Acetic acid,
- Sodium acetate trihydrate, and
- Sucrose.
The Moderna vaccine does not have any preservatives, eggs or latex.
Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine is given on 2 doses: 100 µg, 0.5 ml each, 28-42 days apart.
Possible Side Effects
You can notice the following localised sign and symptoms at Moderna vaccine injection site:
- Pain
- Redness
- Swelling
You can notice the following generalized sign and symptoms:
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Chills
- Fever
- Nausea
Eligibility:
- ≥18 years of healthy individuals are eligible to take the Moderna vaccine however, WHO recommends ≥12 years healthy children also can take it.
- Lactating women
Contraindications:
- Previous allergic reaction/ or anaphylactic reaction on receiving the first dose.
- People with a high risk of severe COVID-19 or death
- Very frail elder individuals with a life expectancy of fewer than 3 months.
- Pregnancy: Pregnant woman is contraindicated only because of current limitations of safety data in pregnant women.
Safety and Efficacy:
The efficacy shown by Moderna vaccine is around 94.1 % after two weeks of first dose.
It is also efficacious against the new variants of SARS-CoV-2, including the B.1.1.7 and the 501Y.V2.
These new variants do not alter the effectiveness of the Moderna mRNA vaccine.