Vaccine-maker Bharat Biotech will use adjuvant Alhydroxiquim-II to boost immune response and longer lasting immunity in its novel coronavirus vaccine Covaxin.

The technology is being used under the licensing agreement with Kansas-based ViroVax LLC.

Covaxin is an inactivated vaccine derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus, isolated at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.

The inactivated virus is formulated with ViroVax’s adjuvant to produce the vaccine candidate. Bharat Biotech is currently conducting Phase-II human trials of Covaxin after receiving approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

“There is critical need for development and availability of adjuvants that elucidate mechanisms of action inducing greater antibody responses to vaccine antigens, thus resulting in long-term protection against pathogens,’’ Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, said in a release.

Adjuvants also enhance the sustainability of the global vaccine supply on account of their antigen-sparing effect.

“ViroVax is delighted to partner with Bharat Biotech. This has been possible because of support from the National Institutes of Health,” said Sunil David of ViroVax.

In response to the pandemic, ViroVax also received supplemental funding for the development of subunit vaccine constructs for the prevention of COVID-19, and for the discovery and development of therapeutics for treating COVID-19.

ViroVax is evaluating a subunit vaccine candidate and has identified potential antiviral therapeutics. It is currently in the process of testing the efficacy of these compounds.