New Delhi: In a major development, India's apex medical research institute (ICMR) on Saturday partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) for developing indigenous COVID-19 vaccine.
The development could definitely give a sigh of relief to crores of Indians who are fighting against COVID-19 pandemic.
Government officials told ETV Bharat that both Indian Council of Medical Research and BBIL have partnered to develop fully indigenous vaccine for COVID-19 using the virus strain isolated at ICMR's National Institute of Virology, Pune.
"The strain has been successfully transferred from NIV to Bharat Biotech International Limited. Work on vaccine development has been initiated between the two partners," officials said.
Accordingly, ICMR-NIV will provide continuous support to BBIL for vaccine development.
"ICMR and BBIL will seek fast track approvals to expedite vaccine development, subsequent animal studies and clinical evaluation of the candidate vaccine," officials said.
It may be mentioned here that Hyderabad based BBIL is a pioneering biotechnology company known for its world-class research and development and manufacturing capabilities. It also works in vaccine development for critical diseases.
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