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 France's Sanofi and Britain's GSK in May kicked off global trials to
include more than 35,000 adults to test the shot. They hope to get
approvals by the end of 2021 after early-stage results showed the
vaccine produces a robust immune response.
The Indian arm of the studies will enrol roughly 3,000 adults
between the ages of 18 years and 55 years, according to India's
clinical trial registry.
The assessment is expected to run for a year and the first enrolment
in India is shown to have been made on Tuesday.
The Indian drug regulator did not immediately respond to a request
for comment.
"As the virus continues to evolve, we are anticipating what will be
needed in the coming months and years, and accordingly, have adapted
our vaccine development program," Annapurna Das, Sanofi's India
head, said in a statement.
India reported on Thursday nearly 46,000 new COVID-19 cases in the
last 24 hours, according to data from the health ministry. Experts
have warned that actual figures could be higher than those reported.
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 The highly contagious Delta
variant of the coronavirus, first identified in
the South Asian country, is also hurting global
recovery plans as the death toll surpassed four
million worldwide.
GSK and Sanofi's vaccine candidate uses the same
technology as one of Sanofi's seasonal influenza
vaccines. It will be coupled with an adjuvant, a
substance that acts as a booster to the shot,
made by GSK.
Sanofi also plans to test the vaccine as a
booster, regardless of which shot a person may
have received first.
The companies said study participants can get
vaccinated with an approved COVID-19 shot during
the study if they wish to.
(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka and Anuron Kumar
Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
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