Bharat Biotech's iNCOVACC nasal vaccine can soon become an important tool in mass vaccination
A nasal vaccine against Covid-19, iNCOVACC, developed by Bharat Biotech, has been approved by India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. This is India's first intra-nasal vaccine against Covid-19
Here is what the new nasal vaccine is all about.
Bharat Biotech's recombinant nasal vaccine - iNCOVACC - serves as an instrument for primary immunisation against Covid-19 in adults in the 18+ age group and it is meant for restricted use in emergencies only. For the time being, it can be administered only to the unimmunised.
The vaccine uses a modified chimpanzee adenovirus, which cannot replicate in the body to carry the Covid spike protein and thereby induces better immunity.
iNCOVACC is stable at 2-8 degrees Celsius and can be easily stored and distributed. Bharat Biotech has said that it has established large manufacturing capabilities for the vaccine all across India.
iNCOVACC has the dual benefit of enabling faster development of variant-specific vaccines and easy nasal delivery, enabling mass immunisation. It can soon become an important tool in mass vaccination programmes during pandemics and endemics.
According to Bharat Biotech, this nasal vaccine has been specifically formulated to allow intra-nasal delivery through nasal drops. It has been designed and developed to be cost-effective in low and middle-income countries.
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