Covaxin phase3 trial successfully concluded at AMU

ALIGARH : The Aligarh Muslim University successfully concluded the Phase III trial of country’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin at its Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC).

Principal Investigator, Prof Mohammad Shameem along with his team members apprised the Vice Chancellor, Prof Tariq Mansoor about it and expressed their gratitude for his constant support and motivation throughout the vaccine trial. AMU Registrar Mr Abdul Hamid, IPS was also present on the occasion.

Vice-Chancellor, who was also Co-Principal Investigator, congratulated Prof Mohammad Shameem and the entire team for the hard work, dedication and perseverance while braving the peak phases of the pandemic for conducting the study and maintaining confidence amongst the volunteers.

Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International Limited, Dr Krishna M Ella appreciated VC Prof Tariq Mansoor and the team for this mega task and hoped to collaborate with AMU in future research also.

The Phase III trial for Covaxin was done in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech International Limited. It was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee in November 2020 and the volunteers were recruited for the trial. Prof Shameem informed, “AMU was the first to enroll 1000 volunteers for the vaccine trial. The reputation of AMU and constant support and encouragement provided by the VC was paramount in developing confidence among volunteers”. He also informed that the report of the Phase III trial has been submitted to the ICMR.

The team members of this prestigious trial included Dr Samia Kirmani, Dr Arbaaz Alam Khan, Dr Azimuddin Malik as Scientist B (Medical), Dr Shariq Ahmad, Dr Nafees Ahmad Khan, and Dr Obaid Imtiyazul Haque as sub-investigators.

The team was supported by Mr Irfan Faridi, Mr Shiraz ,Ms Bushra Qazi, (Project Assistant), Ms AlmeenSherwani and Mr Gaurav Singh (Research Assistant), Mr Shadaan, Mr Faizan, Mr Ahmad Fawad ( Lab Analytical Person), Mr Shafique Ur Rehman, Ms Zakia (Field Worker), Ms Sana (Nursing Staff), Mr Ishaan and Mr Afsaar (Lab Tech III).