Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech has acquired the rights to distribute a single-dose intranasal vaccine for Covid-19, which is currently being tested.
On Wednesday, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited announced a licensing agreement with the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis for the novel chimpanzee adenovirus.
Under the agreement, Bharat Biotech owns the rights to distribute the vaccine in all markets except the US, Japan and Europe.
Read | Nasal vaccine prevents coronavirus in mice, study says
While the Phase I trials would be conducted at the Saint Louis University Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit, Bharat Biotech, once the required regulatory approval is obtained, the clinical trial stages in India would continue.
Following successful trials, BBIL would undertake large-scale manufacturing of the vaccine at its facility in Genome Valley, Hyderabad.
The intranasal vaccine candidate is claimed to demonstrate unprecedented levels of protection in mouse studies. This technology and data were recently published in the scientific journal Cell and in an editorial in Nature.
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Unlike other Covid-19 vaccines in development, this vaccine is administered through the nose, often the initial site of infection. The researchers found that the nasal route created a strong immune response throughout the body, but was particularly effective in the nose and respiratory tract, preventing the infection from spreading to the body, Bharat Biotech said.
“We plan to scale this innovative vaccine to 1 billion doses, which translates to 1 billion people vaccinated with a single-dose regimen. An intranasal vaccine will not only be easy to administer, it will also reduce the use of medical consumables such as needles, syringes, which will significantly affect the overall cost of a vaccination campaign, ”said Dr. Krishna Ella, President and CEO of Bharat Biotech.
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Dr. David T Curiel, Director of the Center for Biological Therapeutics and Professor of Radiation Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said: “The ability to achieve effective immunization with a single nasal dose is a important advantage, offering a broader scope and easier administration. An effective nasal dose not only protects against Covid-19, but also prevents the spread of the disease by offering another type of immunity that occurs mainly in the cells that line the nose and throat. Most of the other candidate vaccines currently in development cannot do that. “
This vaccine expands BBIL’s portfolio of vaccines that are currently in various stages of clinical development, including COVAXIN, which is in phase II human clinical trials in the country.
Read | Covid-19 Vaccine: Promising Results Seen in Monkeys Receiving COVAXIN from Bharat Biotech
Bharat Biotech announced in May an exclusive agreement with Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia to develop a new candidate vaccine for COVID-19 developed using an existing inactivated rabies vaccine as a vehicle for coronavirus proteins.
In April, an international collaboration of virologists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the vaccine companies FluGen and Bharat Biotech began development and testing of a Covid-19 vaccine called CoroFlu.
“Our viral vaccine expertise, manufacturing and distribution capabilities continue to be our strength in ensuring safe, effective and affordable vaccines. It is prudent for Bharat to participate in diverse but sustainable projects to provide a much-needed vaccine against COVID-19 that reaches all citizens of the world, ”says Ella.
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