India Approves Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine by Bharat Biotech

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved Bharat Biotech’s nasal COVID-19 vaccine for adults 18 and over. This is the first of its kind in the nation and is one of the few nasal COVID-19 vaccines approved worldwide. Based on a modified chimpanzee cold virus, the vaccine delivers SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins directly to the nose, one of the first spots in the virus’s route of infection.

According to Firstpost, “Hindustan Times quoted Bharat Biotech as saying that as the vaccine is easy to administer as it is non-invasive and does not require trained health care workers. It further eliminates needle-associated risks such as injuries and infections, has higher compliance and is scalable as far as manufacturing is concerned. News18 quoted an article published by Gavi the Vaccine Alliance as noting other advantages including the fact that the sprays don’t need to be refrigerated and don’t need to be administered by health professionals.”

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(Source: Firstpost, September 6^th, 2022)