Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launched GEMCOVAC-OM, a booster vaccine specifically targeting the Omicron variant, which is based on mRNA technology. India’s first mRNA vaccine has been developed using the indigenous platform technology by Gennova, with financial support from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). Recently, the vaccine received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Drug Control General of India (DCGI).
Moving a step closer to PM Sh @narendraModi’s vision of preventive healthcare and #AtmaNirbharBharat, launched GEMCOVAC® -OM, first-ever Omicron-specific mRNA-based Booster Vaccine, supported by Department of Biotechnology #DBT, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt of India. pic.twitter.com/GcCTbFaFPV
— Dr Jitendra Singh (मोदी का परिवार) (@DrJitendraSingh) June 24, 2023
“I take great pride in DBT fulfilling its mission yet again– enabling technology-driven entrepreneurship through creating this indigenous mRNA-platform technology. We have always supported technology-driven innovation towards the creation of a ‘future-ready’ technology platform in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of Aatmanirbharta,” said Dr Jitendra Singh.
GEMCOVAC-OM, the latest vaccine to be developed, is a result of the collaborative efforts between Mission COVID Suraksha, implemented by DBT and BIRAC, and the Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 package initiated by the Government of India. This comprehensive program aims to accelerate the development of indigenous COVID-19 vaccines in India, and GEMCOVAC-OM marks the fifth successful vaccine created under this initiative.
“Within a year of implementation, the Mission Covid Suraksha demonstrated major achievements, such as (i) Development of the World’s first DNA Vaccine for COVID-19, and (ii) Supporting the development of the nation’s first mRNA Vaccine and intranasal vaccine candidates and a subunit vaccine against COVID-19,” said Dr Jitendra Singh.
“Steady investments made by the Government of India have created a strong entrepreneurship as well as Startup ecosystem which has actually facilitated our response against the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said congratulating DBT and BIRAC.
GEMCOVAC-OM is a thermostable vaccine and does not require ultra-cold chain infrastructure used for other approved mRNA- based vaccines.
“This innovation makes it easy for last mile deployment in our country. The existing supply chain infrastructure is sufficient to deploy this vaccine,” said Dr Jitendra Singh, adding, “Its unique feature is that this vaccine can be administered without a needle injection.”
The GEMCOVAC-OM vaccine is administered through an intra-dermal route using a needle-free injection device system. In clinical trials, it has been observed that this vaccine induces significantly stronger immune responses compared to other methods. These findings highlight the importance of variant-specific vaccines in achieving the desired immune response.