India’s first nasal vaccine for Covid-19 okayed for use

The booster dose of Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 nasal vaccine iNCOVACC was given emergency use authorisation (EUA) by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

The EUA is reported to have been granted for restricted emergency use as the third dose for adults irrespective of having been administered Covaxin or Covishield vaccine doses.

According to the Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer, the nasal route has excellent potential for vaccination due to the organised immune systems of the nasal mucosa.

iNCOVACC is India’s first nasal vaccine developed against Covid-19. The nasal vaccine can be taken after six months of the second dose. As this is non-invasive and needle-free, it becomes easy to administer.

The intranasal immunisation of ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S can create an immune response in the nose, which is the point of entry for the virus. The booster dose will thereby protect against disease, infection, and transmission.