Emcure Pharmaceuticals’ subsidiary Gennova Biopharmaceuticals will soon be submitting the data of Phase I trials for its mRNA vaccine candidate.
The vaccine HGCO19 developed by Gennova in collaboration with researchers from HDT Biotech Corporation in USA will be the first mRNA Covid-19 vaccine in India.
Talking to Deccan Herald, Vikas Thapar, President of Corporate Development & Strategy, Emcure Pharmaceuticals said that the company after submitting its data on phase 1 trial will seek permission for combined Phase II and III trials…and then apply for Emergency Use Authorisation.
Upon asking about the timeline, Thapar said: “It depends on approvals, however, at our stage a lot of work is going on…it’s a process and the key is safety and efficacy.”
Deliberating more on the characteristics of the mRNA vaccine, Thapar revealed that unlike standard viral vaccines, which use either an inactivated virus or viral proteins are known to cause infection, mRNA vaccine carries the molecular instructions to make the protein in the body through a synthetic RNA of the virus.
The host body uses this to produce the viral protein recognized by the immune system, thereby making the body ready to fight against the disease. According to him, HGCO19 is stable at 2-8°C making logistics easier.
Gennova uses the most prominent mutant of spike protein (D614G) for its vaccine candidate. HGCO19 has lower dosing requirements as it uses the self-amplifying mRNA platform which gives it an advantage over non-replicating mRNA or traditional vaccine, Thapar Added.
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