The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on September 6 approved the country’s first intra-nasal Covid-19 vaccine — Bharat Biotech’s iNCOVACC — for restricted emergency use in those aged above 18 years.
Key points
- It’s only the second such vaccine in the world, after CanSino Biologics’ vaccine in China, to get regulatory approval.
- iNCOVACC is a chimpanzee adenovirus vectored recombinant nasal vaccine that has been specifically formulated to allow intra-nasal delivery through nasal drops.
- The nasal delivery system has been designed and developed to be cost effective in low- and middle-income coun¬tries, the company said.
- The vaccine is stable at 2-8°C. the vaccine has been approved for “primary immunisation against Covid-19 in the 18+ age group for restricted use in emergency situation.
- Intra-nasal Covid-19 vaccines can prime immune cells in the thin mucous membranes of the nose and mouth, the spot through which the Sars-CoV-2 virus enters the body.
- Therefore, it can stop the virus from replicating at its entry and spreading to the lungs and other parts of the body.
