An expert panel of India’s central drug authority has recommended that Bharat Biotech be given permission to conduct a study on interchangeability of its Covaxin and the under-trial adenoviral intranasal vaccine candidate BBV154, amid concerns about a possible third wave of the coronavirus pandemic and to speed up the vaccination process in the country. The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company, however, was told to delete the phrase “interchangeability” from the study title and submit a rewritten protocol for clearance.
Because it is administered intranasally, the vaccine, if authorised, may be easier to administer, particularly to those who are afraid of needles.
Bharat Biotech MD Dr Krishna Ella spoke to a media TV channel in April about the feasibility of a nasal coronavirus vaccine, explaining, “Injectible vaccines only protect up to the lower lung, upper lungs and nose are not covered.”
“If regulators help, we will be the first, but we have competition from the US and China,” he said, emphasising that Bharat Biotech might be the first in the world to develop a nasal Covid-19 vaccine.”
Krishna Ella had also shared a data and asked, “Can mucosal (intranasal) vaccine be a gamechanger for SARS-CoV-2″.
