Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals has revealed that its mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 is being continuously peer reviewed and is optimistic of launching it before the end of this year.
Gennova's HGCO19 is the first mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 being developed in India.
NDTV aired a conversation with Sanjay Singh, CEO of Gennova, on Wednesday. Sanjay Singh told NDTV, "Hopefully, if everything goes right, we have successful trial, before the end of the year, we expect [to have] this vaccine in the market."
Sanjay Singh told NDTV that mRNA vaccines were "most preferred, least controversial, maximum efficacious”. But, he conceded it was difficult to deploy infrastructure, such as very-low temperature refrigeration, across the country to store mRNA vaccines.
Sanjay Singh declared Gennova had succeeded in developing its vaccine to remain stable at temperatures of 2 degrees to 8 degrees Celsius, unlike other mRNA vaccines. He termed this as one of the "biggest advantages" of the Gennova vaccine.
Singh said Gennova would also work towards creating a vaccine for children and a booster dose.
mRNA vaccines are considered safe as mRNA is non-infectious, non-integrating in nature and degraded by standard cellular mechanisms.
They are highly efficacious because of their inherent capability of being translatable into the protein structure inside the cell cytoplasm. Additionally, mRNA vaccines are fully synthetic and do not require a host for growth, for example, eggs or bacteria.
Therefore, they can be quickly manufactured inexpensively to ensure their availability and accessibility for mass vaccination on a sustainable basis.
The establishment of such a technology platform will empower India to handle the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure the preparedness for any future pandemic or endemic stage that will follow (mutation in the virus, unvaccinated low-risk population, newborns) by utilising its rapid development path.
