First homegrown mRNA vaccine approved for more clinical trials

India's first homegrown mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, being developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, has been approved for further clinical trial after the shot was found to be safe and effective in an early-stage study. Gennova plans to conduct a mid-stage study at about 10 to 15 sites and a late-stage trial at 22 to 27 sites in India, the government said. Clinical trials of Gennova's vaccine candidate began in December last year and are partly funded by the biotechnology department of India's Ministry of Science and Technology.

Prashant Khadayate, a pharma analyst at GlobalData said that  developing an mRNA vaccine would however help India display its scientific innovation at a global level. The technology behind Gennova's vaccine, also used in shots made by U.S. drugmakers Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc, prompts the human body to make a protein that is part of the virus to trigger an immune response. Gennova, whose parent firm filed for an initial public offering last week, is also scaling up its vaccine manufacturing capacity, the government statement added.