World’s first made-in-India Covid nasal vaccine unveiled

The world’s first intranasal Covid 19 vaccine, made in India, has been unveiled by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on the Republic Day. The vaccine — iNCOVACC has been developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) in collaboration with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance (BIRAC), a PSU under the Dept of Biotechnology. The Drugs Controller General of India’s (DCGI) approved the vaccine for restricted emergency use among adults as a booster dose.

On the occasion Mandaviya said that this marks a glorious tribute to the call for Atmanirbhar Bharat and that more than 65 per cent  of vaccines supplied in the world are from India. Union Minister of State (IC) for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, Krishna Ella, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Bharat Biotech and other senior officials were also present on the occasion.

iNCOVACC is a cost effective covid vaccine which does not require syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, bandage, etc, saving costs related to procurement, distribution, storage, and biomedical waste disposal, that is routinely required for injectable vaccines. It utilizes a vector-based platform, which can be easily updated with emerging variants leading to large scale production, within a few months.

These rapid response timelines combined with the ability of cost effective and easy intranasal delivery, makes it an ideal vaccine to address future infectious diseases.

Also read: India-made nasal vaccine being made available for booster shots to keep Covid at bay