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Vaccines cannot be developed in a hurry: Any haste may only lead to more suffering

Vaccines cannot be developed in a hurry: Any haste may only lead to more suffering
According to health experts, researchers must not break defined guidelines and processes involved in developing a vaccine, as finding shortcuts may do more harm than good in the long run.

The suspension of a potential vaccine by UK-based AstraZeneca for COVID-19 has raised concerns among the scientific fraternity. Read on to know more.

Written by Jahnavi Sarma |Updated : September 11, 2020 11:39 AM IST

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the whole world is waiting for a vaccine against the deadly COVID-19 virus. But it needs to be safe and effective. The regulatory pathway for the vaccine is meant to be slow, deliberate, reflective, data-rich, data-informed, and peer-reviewed. Any haste can end in disastrous results. The suspension of a potential vaccine by UK-based AstraZeneca has raised concerns among the scientific fraternity and some of them on Thursday reiterated against rushing into the key human trials as a bad vaccine will only multiply the suffering humanity is currently going through.

Nearly four decades and 32 million deaths later, the world is still waiting for an HIV vaccine. An effective vaccine for dengue fever, which infects as many as 400,000 people a year according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), has eluded scientists for decades. A clinical trial for an HIV vaccine was discontinued early this year since the vaccine was not found to prevent infections of human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes AIDS.

Shortcuts to a vaccine may have disastrous results

According to health experts, researchers must not break defined guidelines and processes involved in developing a vaccine, as finding shortcuts may do more harm than good in the long run. In India, the Serum Institute of India (SII) is the partner of the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute to conduct vaccine trials. SII is currently progressing with the second and third phase study of the vaccine candidate at 17 trial sites across the country. Covishield is the vaccine candidate developed jointly by pharma giant AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.

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SII's initial reaction to Covishield trials raises questions

Although the Serum Institute of India has said they have not faced issues yet, they reiterated that they will follow the instructions and protocols of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) after receiving a show-cause notice from the central drug control authority on Wednesday. The statement by the Pune-based vaccine manufacturer came after the Drug Control General of India (DCGI), VG Somani, issued a show-cause notice to it asking for an explanation as to why the institute decided to go ahead with the clinical trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine when doubts about patient safety were yet unclear. However, it is heartening to note that AstraZeneca is vigilant and responsible enough to immediately notify and pause the trial when they witnessed adverse effects.

Phase 3 trials most important

Phase 3 trials are generally the ultimate arbiter of whether a vaccine is ready for primetime - even as the demand for a vaccine or an effective drug to prevent or control COVID-19 has only been rising. According to Dr Rajesh Chawla, Senior Consultant of Respiratory Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, "Hold on the vaccine clinical trial is a routine action that has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is being investigated.

(With inputs from IANS)