PIL Against Covaxin Trial On 2-18 Age Group In Delhi High Court

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday heard a PIL, to set aside the permission granted by the Drugs Controller General of India to Bharat Biotech for conducting the phase II/III clinical trial of its Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine on the 2-18 age group.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Centre and Bharat Biotech seeking their stand by July 15 on the petition, said media reports.

The court declined to pass any interim order staying the permission, granted on May 12, for clinical trials as sought by the petitioner, Sanjeev Kumar. The trial will be conducted on 525 healthy volunteers. In the trial, the vaccine will be given by intramuscular route in two doses, on day 0 and day 28, News18 reported.

Covaxin, which has been indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is being used on adults in India’s ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive.