On Jun. 29, 2020, Bharat Biotech announced it had successfully developed COVAXIN, India’s 1st vaccine candidate for COVID-19, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) -National Institute of Virology (NIV).

The SARS-CoV-2 strain was isolated in NIV, Pune and transferred to Bharat Biotech. The indigenous, inactivated vaccine developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech’s BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) High Containment facility located in Genome Valley, Hyderabad, India.