India’s Serum Institute Begins Producing Codagenix’s COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

New York biotech Codagenix announced Tuesday that the Serum Institute of India has begun manufacturing its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CDX-005.

The firm’s CEO, J. Robert Coleman, did not disclose the deal’s financial details, but said that the Serum Institute — the world’s largest vaccine producer in terms of doses — is providing financial and technical support.

The small Long Island biotech startup has not yet begun its phase 1 clinical trial. The first human study, which will be conducted in the UK, is slated to get under way by the end of the year.

The Serum Institute is manufacturing several promising COVID-19 vaccines to prepare for the massive global demand that will result should one or more candidates prove successful in late-stage trials. Novavax, whose NVX-CoV1273 candidate is expected to enter phase 3 trials soon, recently expanded its production agreement with the institute to supply more than 2 billion doses annually beginning next year (DID, Sept. 16). — James Miessler