Drug authority clears use of India’s first nasal Covid-19 vaccine made by Bharat Biotech

The Covaxin maker’s nasal shot will be used in emergency situations for the 18+ age group, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted.

File photo of Covid vaccine Covaxin under development at Bharat Biotech facility in Hyderabad | ANI Photo

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday cleared for use Bharat Biotech’s nasal vaccine – the country’s first – to boost its continuing fight against Covid-19. The vaccine will be used by adults in emergency cases.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted: “Bharat Biotech’s ChAd36-SARS-CoV-S Covid-19 (Chimpanzee Adenovirus Vectored) recombinant nasal vaccine approved… for primary immunization against Covid-19 in 18+ age group for restricted use in emergency situation”.

“This step will further strengthen our collective fight against the pandemic,” the minister said.

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This step will further strengthen our collective fight against the pandemic.

India has harnessed its science, R&D, and human resources in the fight against COVID-19 under PM @NarendraModi Ji's leadership.

With the science-driven approach & Sabka Prayas, we will defeat COVID-19.

— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) September 6, 2022

On Independence Day, Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) announced that its COVID-19 intranasal vaccine (BBV154) had proven to be “safe, well-tolerated, and immunogenic” in subjects in controlled phase III clinical trials.

BBV154, which has been specifically formulated to allow intranasal delivery, is designed and developed to be cost-effective in low and middle-income countries, the company said.

Bharat Biotech created the vaccine in partnership with Washington University St Louis, which had developed the recombinant adenoviral vectored constructs and evaluated them in preclinical studies for efficacy.

The Indian vaccine-maker, on its part, conducted the product development related to pre-clinical safety evaluation, the large-scale manufacturing scale-up, the formulation, the delivery-device development, and human clinical trials.

The Centre partially funded the product development and clinical trials through the Department of Biotechnology’s, COVID Suraksha programme.

Bharat Biotech has also said the intranasal vaccine will make it easier to deploy in mass immunisation campaigns with an easy-to-administer formulation and delivery device.