IIL signs MoA with ICMR for clinical development of Zika vaccine

ICMR will fund the Phase I clinical trial costs including the costs relating to the conduct, investigations and monitoring of the clinical trial

Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) has signed MoA with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the clinical development of India’s first codon de-optimised live-attenuated Zika vaccine.

IIL partnered with Griffith University, Australia to develop the codon de-optimised live attenuated Zika vaccine that has completed extensive pre-clinical evaluations and received permission from the Indian regulatory authority to produce GMP-grade materials for clinical developmental work.

As per the MoA, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will fund the Phase I clinical trial costs including the costs relating to the conduct, investigations and monitoring of the clinical trial. The trial will be conducted at the ICMR network sites in India.

Dr K Anand Kumar, MD, IIL said, “It is a great moment for IIL to collaborate with ICMR to develop Zika vaccine. IIL has been the single largest contributor to India achieving self-sufficiency in vaccines. Our foresight in developing novel vaccine platforms including codon de-optimized viral vaccines is beginning to bear fruit. It is essential to safeguard our people from emerging diseases by developing safe and effective vaccines that are affordable."

Dr Rajiv Bahl, DG-ICMR said, “ICMR’s Phase I trial network, launched last year, facilitates first-in-human safety studies for innovative and affordable Frontier MedTech, including small molecules, biologics, and vaccines. With four Phase-I sites—ACTREC Mumbai, KEM Hospital Mumbai, SRM Chennai, and PGIMER Chandigarh—fully operational, Indian innovators no longer need to go abroad for Phase-I trials. This is a significant step towards achieving Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat.

Dr Priyabrata Pattnaik, Deputy MD, IIL mentioned, “We have been at the forefront of developing vaccines for emerging viral diseases. Currently, we are working on developing vaccines for several neglected emerging diseases. Zika, Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), Chikungunya and SARS-CoV-2 intra-nasal booster vaccine are to name a few."

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