[ad_1]
BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) – The latest Covid-19 vaccine candidate to begin human trials is the first in which volunteers will not receive a painful injection. Instead, they will receive a spray through their nose.
China on Wednesday (Sept. 9) approved phase I human trials for the nasal spray vaccine, which is jointly developed by researchers from Xiamen University and the University of Hong Kong, as well as vaccine maker Beijing Wantai. Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co.
Intranasal spray has previously been developed as a flu vaccine and is recommended for use among children and adults who want to avoid the more common needle injection.
While not the most common delivery option, scientists around the world are working to develop sprays as an alternative to muscle shots for all types of vaccines.
CHINA CANDIDATES
The intranasal vaccine is China’s 10th candidate to move to the crucial stage of human testing.
The country is building its leadership in vaccine development after Western leader AstraZeneca had to pause its late-stage human trial to investigate a spinal cord disease in a person who received its experimental injection.
The intranasal spray contains weakened influenza virus that carries the genetic segments of the coronavirus spike protein.
Administered through the nasal tract, it mimics the natural infection of respiratory viruses to stimulate the body’s immune response against the pathogen that causes Covid-19, according to Science and Technology Daily, a newspaper affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.
Some scientists hope that a vaccine that is sprayed through the nose has a better chance of stopping the spread of the insidious virus through the respiratory tract.
A needle injection can elicit a systemic immune response to prevent serious disease, but it may not be strong enough to prevent infection.
Preclinical studies have shown that the nasal vaccine can significantly reduce lung damage among mice and hamsters when faced with the coronavirus, Science and Technology Daily reported.
Global career
The nasal spray joins 35 other candidates currently in human trials, as the global race for the first to have an effective vaccine against the deadly pathogen intensifies.
In the wake of AstraZeneca’s setback, China’s most advanced vaccine developers, including CanSino Biologics and state-owned China National Biotec Group Co, have emphasized the safety of their own injections.
CNBG said the two injections it is testing are effective in preventing infection.
None of the Chinese diplomats and workers traveling to virus hot spots abroad have reported infections several months after receiving the vaccines, said Zhou Song, general counsel for CNBG, in an article published in Science and Technology Daily.
CanSino, which employs a vaccine manufacturing technique similar to AstraZeneca’s, said its military-backed injection is safe and has not caused any serious side effects in testing.
Zhu Tao, co-founder and chief scientific officer of CanSino, defended the vaccine against criticism that it appears to trigger fewer antibodies compared to those generated by rivals such as AstraZeneca and Moderna.
The variation in antibody readings is the result of using different measurement methods, he said in a presentation to investors this week.
[ad_2]
