– July 1, 2020Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has developed a vaccine for the deadly novel coronavirus in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV) – Covaxin. The vaccine has got approval for human trials. The virus strain was isolated by NIV and then was transferred to Bharat Biotech to develop the vaccine. After the company submitted the results from preclinical studies, immune response and demonstrating safety, it was granted approval to conduct human trials in Phases 1 and 2. The trails are expected to begin in July this year. The development of the vaccine was accelerated through national regulatory protocols and the results have been encouraging and show high levels of safety and efficacy.