In news– Recently, the Corbevax, Biological E’s (BE) receptor binding domain protein sub-unit vaccine against Covid-19 has been granted an emergency use authorisation from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
About Corbevax-
- Corbevax is a “recombinant protein sub-unit” vaccine, which means it is made up of a specific part of SARS-CoV-2, the spike protein on the virus’s surface.
- Although this technology has been used for decades to make hepatitis B vaccines, Corbevax will be among the first Covid-19 vaccines to use this platform.
- It is India’s first indigenously developed Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) Protein sub-unit vaccine against Covid-19.
- It is administered through an intramuscular route with two doses scheduled 28 days apart and is stored at 2 to 8 degrees’ Celsius temperature.
- While it is indigenously produced, Corbevax’s beginnings can be traced to the Baylor College of Medicine’s National School of Tropical Medicine.
- The Corbevax became the third Covid vaccine to be approved for children in India.
- It is already approved for adults and the company has started supplying the vaccine.
Other two vaccines approved for children-
- Cadila Healthcare’s ZyCoV-D and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin are two vaccines that have already been approved in this category.
- Of these, Covaxin is already in use for vaccinating adolescents 15-17 years.
- Covaxin got a recommendation for approval to be used in children as young as two year olds.
- The Centre has just begun administering ZyCoV-D in adults. However, the vaccine is not used for adolescents as of now.
- National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization in India (NTAGI) has now given its nod for use of ZyCoV-D in children too.
How is Corbevax different?
- Other Covid-19 vaccines approved so far are either mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna), viral vector vaccines (AstraZeneca-Oxford/Covishield, Johnson & Johnson and Sputnik V) or inactivated vaccines (Covaxin, Sinovac-CoronaVac and Sinopharm’s SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine–Vero Cell).
- Inactivated vaccines, which include killed particles of the whole SARS-CoV-2 virus, attempt to target the entire structure of the virus.
- On the other hand, Corbevax, like the mRNA and viral vector Covid-19 vaccines, targets only the spike protein, but in a different way.
- Viral vectors and mRNA vaccines use a code to induce our cells to make the spike proteins against which the body has to build immunity.
Source: Business Standards
