The University of Oxford has launched the world’s first Phase II clinical trial of a Nipah virus vaccine candidate in Bangladesh, which has been developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII). A vaccine is urgently needed as the infection can be fatal in up to 75 per cent of cases. The ChAdOx NipahB vaccine was manufactured for this clinical trial by the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (SIIPL), part of Cyrus Poonawalla Group and the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, in collaboration with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The vaccine has been developed using the same viral- vector platform as the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and involves manufacturing processes that were originally used for the Covid vaccine, Prof Brian Angus, chief investigator of the trial at the Oxford Vaccine Group, told The Indian Express over email. “The vaccine targets the glycoprotein G isolated from the Bangladesh strain. This is very similar to the India strain and also covers the Malaysia strain,” Prof Angus said. The trial will enrol 306 healthy participants aged …