India approves human trials for second Covid-19 vaccine candidate

Drug firm Zydus says its potential vaccine showed 'strong immune response' in animal tests

Health workers arrive on a bus to conduct a free screenings at residential building in Mumbai, one of worst-affected cities in India's Covid-19 outbreak. AP Photo

India has approved a second locally developed Covid-19 vaccine for human trials as surging infections put the country on course to overtake Russia as the third-most affected nation in the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Pharmaceuticals firm Zydus said on Friday that it had received approval from Indian regulators to begin human studies of its potential vaccine.

The vaccine showed a "strong immune response" in animal studies, and the antibodies produced were able to completely neutralise the wild type virus, Zydus, part of India's Cadila Healthcare group, said in a statement to Indian stock exchanges.

India's approval for Zydus comes days after privately held Bharat Biotech got a green light for human studies for its vaccine candidate.

____________

Coronavirus around the world

People wait to receive food outside a community centre amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, at Fuerte Apache neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. EPA

A teacher and students wear hats designed to maintain social distancing at Ban Pa Muad School in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. AP Photo

Visitors carrying parasols pose for photos at the 17th century Wat Chaiwatthanaram temple complex in the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, as authorities reopened sites after a lockdown to halt the spread of the Covid-19. AFP

Physician Carolina Xavier, left, a member of the indigenous medical care unit of the Sao Mata Verde Bonita tribe, speaks with patients in Marica, Rio de Janeiro state. AFP

A man lights lamps before offering prayers for the protection against Covid19 at Badshah no Hajiro or King's Mausoleum in Ahmedabad, India. AP Photo

Workers with Accredited Social Health Activist (Asha) from India's National Rural Health Mission wearing pink robes and protective masks as they conduct a door-to-door survey on the coronavirus in New Delhi. Bloomberg

Gravedigger Martin Niano pushes his cycle past wreaths adorning recent graves in a section of the Municipal Cemetery of Valle de Chalco on the outskirts of Mexico City. AP Photo

People wear masks in the capital Seoul as South Korea experiences a surge in the number of coronavirus infections, particularly in the southern city of Gwangju. EPA

People slackline on the Santa Monica beach in Los Angeles County, California where beaches and piers will be closed during the Fourth of July weekend to slow the spread of the coronavirus. AFP

Indigenous Guarani women and children listen to music being played at the Sao Mata Verde Bonita tribe camp, in Guarani indigenous land, in Marica, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. AFP

A worker wearing protective suits sprays disinfectant inside a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The TTC carried about 1.7 million passengers per day prior to the coronavirus pandemic but ridership has sunk by about 80% as people avoid public transportation and work from home. Bloomberg

Residents wait for their turn during an aid package distribution by the Indonesian Air Force at a slum area in Jakarta, Indonesia. EPA

Children wearing protective face masks look at an Indonesian Air Force disinfection drone in a slum area of Jakarta. EPA

South Korean imperial guards wear face masks as they patrol near the Deoksu Palace in Seoul. AP Photo

Medical staff prepare to transfer a patient to another room in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Centre in Houston, Texas. AFP

A passenger collects her baggage at Sydney Airport, Australia after arriving on a flight from Melbourne. EPA

Men play football at a local club in Pergamino, Argentina where soccer field has been divided into 12 rectangles to keep players from making physical contact. AP Photo

A passenger of a minibus, locally known as jeepney, looks out at a transportation bureau officer in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. EPA

People wearing protective masks make their way during rush hour at a railway station in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters

A youth drinks mate, a traditional herbal drink, as he looks out from the door of a gym at a school being used as a government-run quarantine shelter in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. AP Photo

Employees work at the Arequipe clothing factory in Bogota, Colombia, which had remained closed for 50 days during the government's coronavirus lockdown. Getty Images

____________

Zydus will begin human trials this month on more than 1,000 subjects at multiple sites in India, it said. The company also plans to ramp up its production capacity for the vaccine contender to serve Indian and global demand, it added.

There were no safety concerns for the vaccine candidate in repeat dose toxicology studies, Zydus said. In rabbits, up to three times the intended human dose was found to be safe, well tolerated and immunogenic.

No vaccine has yet been approved for commercial use against Covid-19, but more than a dozen from over 100 candidates globally are currently being tested in humans, and some have shown potential in early-stage trials.

India's health ministry reported another single-day record increase in coronavirus cases on Friday. The 20,903 new infections took the national total to 625,544, while another 379 deaths in the previous 24 hours raised the number of fatalities to 18,213.

With the current rate of infections, India is expected to surpass Russia’s 660,000 cases in coming days and become the third worst-hit country after the United States and Brazil. It has the eighth-most fatalities in the world, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally, but both numbers are thought to be far higher than has been confirmed around the world.

Despite the increasing number of cases, India has continued easing lockdown restrictions in most of the country except for the highest-risk areas.

All monuments will be reopened to the public from Monday, subject to limits on the number of visitors and the mandatory wearing of masks.

A strict two-month lockdown that began in late March dealt a blow to the faltering economy and left millions of low-paid migrant workers stranded in cities without jobs and unable to return to their homes in rural areas.