After the pandemic Covid-19 has become a challenge for medical fraternity as most of the developed medicines are working in a range to cure this upgraded vatiant disease. Now, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech developed a nasal vaccine to cure this disease, the big question is how far it may get cured. And several answers with doubts raised.
A study published this month in the open access American Society for Microbiology journal mBio demonstrated the effectiveness of a needle-free mucosal bacteriophage-based COVID-19 vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
With the introduction of the nasal vaccine against Covid-19 developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, India now has access to the most recent immunisation method, which has been hailed as a game-changer in the treatment of the illness.
The Indian pharma regulator has given the nasal vaccine made by Bharat Biotech, known as iNCOVACC, permission for “Restricted Use in Emergency Situation” in those 18 years of age and older. Nasal drops can be used to give intranasally using iNCOVACC, which has been specially prepared to do so. According to the Hyderabad-based startup, the nasal delivery device has been built to be affordable in low- and middle-income nations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last month said that current vaccines were designed to prevent serious illness and death, which they have succeeded in doing, saving millions of lives. However, they have not substantially reduced transmission. As the virus continues to circulate widely, new and dangerous variants are emerging, including some which reduce the efficacy of vaccines, it said.
The apex global public health agency said that it is fundamental to continue investing in research and development to make more effective, easier to administer vaccines, such as nasal spray products.
“A nasal vaccine can indeed be a game changer in fighting the Covid viral infection. The virus initially infects the nasal cavity then it affects the lungs another part of the body, it also stays in the nasal cavity and behaves as a constant source of infection to other people by spreading through nosocomial infection also called healthcare-associated infections (HAI) which are acquired while receiving healthcare in Nasal secretion and cough,” said Dr Rahul Sharma, Additional Director – Pulmonology, Fortis Hospital Noida.
Sharma explains that the nasal vaccine works by suppressing the broad immune response of the virus in the nasal cavity by neutralising IgG antibodies suppressing mucosal IgA antibodies and T cell response by doing so it decreases the chances of spread of this infection to other people which is the major challenge and the major cause of pandemic that has happened due to covid-19 virus.
Doctors have said the nasal vaccine will be easy to give and a higher uptake is also expected.
“Easy to give but also it will be non-invasive without needle prick pain-free and with very fewer side-effects vaccine in future can also be given to small kids,” said Sharma adding that there will be less burden on society in economy wise as better vaccinations lead to lesser chances of infection, severe disease, hospitalisation and mortality in future.
Scientists across the globe have been supporting nasal vaccines. A research published in mBio, an open access journal of the American Society for Microbiology last month showed that a needle-free mucosal bacteriophage-based COVID-19 vaccine is effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and mucosa is the inner lining of any organ such as the nose.
The researchers argued that current vaccines that are intramuscularly injected in 2 or more doses are effective in preventing covid-19, but they do not induce efficient mucosal immunity or prevent viral transmission. The scientists said that the nasal vaccine provided complete protection and immunity against the most lethal Delta variant in mouse models. Recently, China approved a nasal covid-19 vaccine, manufactured by the Chinese company CanSino Biologics in Tianjin as a booster dose.
iNCOVACC was developed by Bharat Biotech in partnership with Washington University St. Louis, which had designed and developed the recombinant adenoviral vectored constructs and evaluated them in preclinical studies for efficacy. Product development and clinical trials were funded in part by the Government of India through the Department of Biotechnology’s, COVID Suraksha program.
Clinical trials were conducted to evaluate iNCOVACC as a primary dose schedule, as a heterologous booster dose (different from the first vaccine) for subjects who have previously received 2 doses of the two commonly administered covid vaccines in India.
According to Bharat Biotech, iNCOVACC has the dual advantages of facilitating quicker development of variant-specific vaccines and facile nasal delivery that facilitates widespread immunisation to guard against worrying developing variants. #KhabarLive #hydnews #hyderabadlive
