“It is just possible that if the cases accrue rapidly in the clinical trials, that we could have that data before regulators this year, and then there would be a process that they go through in order to make a full assessment of the data,” Andrew Pollard told BBC Radio.

The Oxford vaccine showed early promise in the first human trial when it produced an immune response and is seen one of the leading vaccine candidates.

The Oxford vaccine was in the news recently after Financial Times reported that the Trump administration was considering fast-tracking the vaccine for use in the United States ahead of the November 3 elections.

“The process of going through emergency use authorization in an emergency is well established, but it still involves having carefully conducted data… and evidence that it actually works,” the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group said.

The advanced clinical trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the country by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) is set to begin today.

Serum Institute of India has partnered with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca for manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine candidate, developed by the University of Oxford.

Earlier this month, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on August 3 had given nod to the Pune Serum Institute of India (SII) for conducting phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the country.

The trials are to be conducted across 17 selected sites. Around 1,600 people aged above 18 years are likely to participate in the trials of Oxford vaccine in India. (With Agency Inputs)