Coaxing or covishield is an inactivated subunit vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech Ltd in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The name of the vaccine is taken from the brand name” coaxing” which is derived from Latin” covicere” meaning to turn and “castus” meaning sheep. The vaccine is intended for adults between the ages of five and thirty-five years who have not undergone prior vaccinations against diseases like diphtheria, meningitis, pertussis and tetanus. The combination of drugs works by inhibiting the ability of the recipient’s body to produce antibodies which would otherwise neutralize the vaccine.
A clinical trial conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) has been conducted to evaluate the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of the vaccine in children below the age of five. The primary objectives of the trial were to determine whether the vaccine is capable of protection against diseases that are commonly encountered in children. The vaccine was also tested for its safety profile using controls as well as with randomly selected individuals. Based on the results, the antiviral potency was increased in the placebo group but showed no significant difference in efficacy when compared to the control group.
Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that the vaccine had adequate safety profile. The manufacturer had acknowledged that a larger number of adolescents in the placebo group may have missed the required doses due to travel or any other reasons. It was noted that the number of deaths caused by the vaccine is low and this is expected in view of the fact that the administration of standard doses of the vaccine is usually successful. Also, the safety profile is maintained even after several doses of covid vaccine have been given, showing that the doses given are sufficient to prevent any harm to the recipients.
In general, the main effect of the vaccine is to reduce the risk of any infection within twenty days of administration. This is followed by a two-week period in which no further infections can occur. A few side effects like mild skin rash and fever are observed in children and these disappear within a few days. No serious complications such as infections, immune suppression, or allergic reactions have been reported during the course of the study.
Earlier antiviral vaccines were not very effective, which is one reason for the increasing popularity of coaxing. The Indian strain of the vaccine proved to be very effective in all the trials conducted in India. Furthermore, the Indian strain of the vaccine has also passed the crucial stage of testing in the USA, whereby it was found to be free from all defects and hence safe to use. The oral administration of the vaccine is not complex and does not involve any special diets or medication. There have been no reports of eczema or any other uncomfortable side effect after the regular administration of the vaccine.
A high percentage of the children who have received the vaccine have developed normal weight and growth within three months of treatment. At the end of the three months of treatment, there was no difference in the weight levels between the placebo and the group that received covashield. There were no deaths in the placebo group and no serious injuries were reported in comparison with the placebo group. Hence the overall safety of the drug coaxing or covishield was found to be very high.
The most important factor that affects the efficiency of the vaccine is its effectiveness. It must be remembered that the formulation of covashield is different from that of the other vaccines. That is why this vaccine is comparatively new. The effectiveness of the vaccine was found to be nearly forty percent when compared to the other vaccines. Thus, coaxing or covishield vaccine can prove to be a major success in India.
However, the most important benefit of the vaccine is that it has fewer side-effects compared to the other similar vaccines. As a result, it is preferred in children above two years of age. However, the main drawback of the vaccine is that the administration of the medicine needs to be done twice daily. The process of administering the medicine is also very expensive as well as time consuming. Thus it is imperative for the manufacturing companies to conduct clinical trials for the new vaccines before they are marketed.
