The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has dissolved a key committee, which was part of the National COVID-19 Task Force (NTF) and tasked with developing a research protocol, a team and partners for vaccines and drug development.
The NTF’s key responsibility was to create a “India COVID-19 Clinical Research Collaborative Network”.
The group for ‘Vaccines/Drug Research and Development’ — one among five constituted by ICMR Director-General Balram Bhargava on April 6 — was to identify ‘research priorities, review evidence and develop concept notes’.
However, these objectives were not met, multiple members of the group confirmed to The Hindu. The group met thrice.
One member told The Hindu that the team was probably constituted to help ICMR gain an overview of potential vaccines, existing capabilities in India and research institutions with expertise in spec