In the ongoing race for an effective Covid-19 vaccine, several pharmaceutical companies are exploring out of the ordinary places. Johnson & Johnson is testing a single-shot vaccine, while traditional vaccine candidates require two injections. Bharat Biotech has announced the manufacture of an intranasal vaccine, which will differentiate it from intramuscular ones.
Here is everything you need to know about these non-traditional vaccines
Nasal shots
Most Covid-19 vaccine candidates are intramuscular where the injections are injected into the muscles. This process requires medical professionals, equipment, etc. Intranasal vaccines can end this. It can be self-administered thus reducing the cost.
Bharat Biotech signed a licensing agreement with the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, for such vaccines.
“We are proud to collaborate on this innovative vaccine. We anticipate that we will scale this vaccine to one billion doses. People can be 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 like needles, syringes, etc., which will significantly affect the overall cost of a vaccination campaign, ”said Krishna Ella, President and CEO ( MD) from Bharat. Biotechnology.
Also read: China aims to produce 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine per year
Single shot vaccines
The vaccines that Moderna, Pfizer and Astrazeneca are developing are all double injections given to participants at an interval of several weeks. Johnson & Johnson and the intranasal vaccine with which Bharat Biotech collaborates will be single injections. Like intranasal vaccines, they also aim to make the process easier.
“The benefits of a single injection vaccine are potentially profound in terms of mass immunization campaigns and control of the global pandemic,” Dr. Dan Barouch, a Harvard vaccine researcher who helped design the COVID-19 vaccine, told Reuters. by J&J.
A single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced a strong immune response against the novel coronavirus in an early to mid-stage clinical trial, according to Johnson & Johnson interim results released Friday.
Also read: Covid-19 Vaccine: When Will the US Get Its First Vaccine?
Passive vaccines
The development of passive vaccines for Covid-19 is a possibility, as scientists have identified highly effective antibodies against the new coronavirus.
Unlike active vaccination, passive vaccination involves the administration of pre-made antibodies, which degrade after some time.
Scientists from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Charite – Universitatsmediz in Berlin isolated almost 600 different antibodies from the blood of individuals who had overcome COVID-19, PTI reported.
This is the mechanism in which plasma therapy works, but scientists are now exploring whether it can be used for the immunization of people who are not yet infected with Covid-19.
(With contributions from the agency)
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