A shot in the arm muscle is no longer the only way of administering a Covid vaccine. In April, Russian drug regulators approved the use of vaccines that can be sprayed into the nose, but very little was known of their efficacy. Earlier this week, China became the first country to authorise the use of an inhaled vaccine for booster doses. On Tuesday, India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) approved iNCOVACC, the country’s first intra-nasal vaccine for primary inoculation. Developed by scientists at the Washington University and manufactured by the Hyderabad-based company, Bharat Biotech, the vaccine uses a harmless version of chimpanzee adenovirus to deliver the spike protein to the lining of the nose.
Non-injectable vaccines have proved to be a game changer in the battle against polio. But their record against influenza has, at best, been mixed. Researchers working on the Covid vaccine claim they have learnt lessons from the experiences of their counterparts who developed the influenza shots. The performance of iNCOVACC will be keenly watched.
