On Jul. 27, 2020, the Serum Institute of India announced that it was is conducting phase III clinical trial of recombinant Bacillus Calmette-Guerian vaccine candidate VPM1002 to evaluate its ability in reducing infection and severe disease outcomes of COVID-19 among high-risk persons of advanced age, comorbidities and high-exposure healthcare workers.

About 6,000 health workers and high-risk individuals including those in close contact of COVID-19 patients have been enrolled in a clinical trial to determine if the recombinant Bacillus Calmette-Guerian (rBCG) can boost immunity to fight against the virus, the statement added.

The BCG vaccine is administered routinely to all newborns as part of the national childhood immunisation programme to prevent tuberculosis (TB), an infection caused by bacteria that mainly affects the lungs.

It has beneficial heterologous effects and proven antiviral and immune modulatory properties that protect against infectious diseases through induction of trained innate immunity and heterologous adaptive immunity.

“The objective of this trial is to evaluate the ability of VPM1002 in reducing infection incidence and severe disease outcomes of COVID-19 among high-risk persons of advanced age or co-morbidities and high-exposure healthcare workers (HCWs),” the statement said.