Amid concerns surrounding the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, Bharat Biotech, the developer of Covaxin, underscores its commitment to safety, emphasising that Covaxin was developed with a primary focus on safety first.
Covaxin, the statement highlights, is the only COVID-19 vaccine in India's immunisation program to have undergone efficacy trials within the country.
Bharat Biotech affirms that Covaxin's safety was rigorously evaluated, with more than 27,000 subjects involved in the licensure process. The vaccine underwent detailed safety reporting for several hundred thousand subjects, with ongoing safety monitoring conducted by the Ministry of Health, Government of India. Despite extensive scrutiny, Covaxin has demonstrated an excellent safety record, with no vaccine-associated incidents of blood clots or other adverse effects reported.
The statement underscores Bharat Biotech's unwavering commitment to patient safety, emphasising that while the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines may vary, ensuring safety remains paramount.
This reassurance follows recent revelations by AstraZeneca acknowledging the rare potential side effect of Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) associated with its vaccine.
In response to these concerns, AstraZeneca reaffirms its commitment to patient safety, noting that regulatory authorities maintain stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines.
The Serum Institute of India-produced COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, differs from Covaxin, utilising a viral vector platform to deliver the COVID-19 spike protein into human cells. Despite these differences, both vaccines underscore the importance of prioritising safety in the global fight against the pandemic.
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