The first nasal vaccine against the Covid-19 virus has been issued and declared safe to use by the Indian Government. The vaccine is called INCOVACC and is manufactured by the Hyderabad-based biotechnology company Bharat Biotech.
The Government has stated that the said nasal vaccine will be used as a heterologous booster and shall be made available at present in private hospitals.
Official sources of the government stated on Friday, Drc 23, 2022 that the vaccine will be included under the Centre’s vaccination program for Covid-19 starting Friday, meaning it will be made available on the Cowin platform.
Regarding the intranasal vaccine, it was approved by the Indian drugs regulator – Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) last month in November and was given approval for as a booster in September, stated sources.
The timing of the new vaccine is of extreme significance as the number of fresh Covid-19 cases has been on a rise in the US, Mexico, Brazil and China and worries of the new Covid wave hitting India is rising too.
Govt of India approves Nasal vaccine. It will be used as a heterologous booster & will be available first in private hospitals. It will be included in #COVID19 vaccination program from today: Official Sources pic.twitter.com/eaxVoX2Hp9
— ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2022
Regarding the benefits of INCOVACC over its injectable peers (vaccines), the former is more convenient and is known to be cost-effective than the peers, not to mention that its easier to store, administer and distribute.
The nasal vaccine is reported to be stable for storage as well as distribution at temperatures of 2-8°C, which is the basic refrigerator temperature range.
“iNCOVACC®️ had earlier received approval under Restricted Use in Emergency Situation for ages 18 and above for primary 2-dose schedule. Phase III trials were conducted for safety, immunogenicity in ~3100 subjects, at 14 trial sites across India.
Heterologous booster dose studies were conducted for safety and immunogenicity in ~875 subjects, with BBV154 intranasal vaccine administered post 2 doses of the two commonly administered COVID-19 vaccines. The trials were conducted at 9 trial sites across India,” Bharat Biotech said in a statement.
