An Indian company is developing a vaccine that may perform better against variant strains of the coronavirus, and the vaccine may eventually be coming to the United States.
On Monday, American biotech company Ocugen finalized a deal with Bharat Biotech of India to bring Bharat’s coronavirus vaccine, Covaxin, to the U.S.
Covaxin has the potential to be more effective against some of the variant strains of the virus, such as the United Kingdom and South African strains. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines attack the spike protein of the virus. The spike protein has mutated in the new strains, likely rendering those vaccines less effective.
Covaxin creates an immune response that targets multiple proteins on the virus, which may make it more effective against variant strains. Additionally, it can be stored at refrigerator temperatures.
Covaxin had received an emergency use authorization in India, although Bharat has not yet finished its phase 3 trials of the vaccine. Bharat is expected to finish the trials by March.
