By now we have all experienced the painful syringe version of the covid-19 vaccination, but now the vaccine can be given via a simple deep breath. In September of 2022 about two years after China started testing Convidecia air™, which is an inhalable version of Convidecia™, it had been approved as a booster shot in China. And in August Convidecia air™ was approved for clinical trials in Malaysia. The vaccine is given to anyone 18 years or above who has had two shots of any vaccine or one shot of Convidecia™ prior. The vaccine is taken via a nebuliser.
The inhaled version of the vaccine is reported to be better as it helps in mucosal, humoral and cellular immunity hence containing the infection and blocking the transmission.
Dr Pierre Morgon, Executive Vice President for Portfolio Strategy and Supranational Affairs at CanSino Biologics, the company responsible for the creation of Convidecia™ and Convidecia Air™, has recently said, “This is an exciting breakthrough for our fight against COVID-19. Convidecia Air™ provides an added layer of mucosal immunity that can potentially block the transmission of virus variants. We are so proud of the teamwork that has led to the first-ever inhaled vaccine ready to be commercialised worldwide,” also adding, “We are delighted that, with the approval of Convidecia Air™ in China, and hopefully in other countries to come, we can help strengthen protection against the virus with this innovative vaccine option that is needle-free, painless and non-invasive.”
Hyderabad's Bharat Biotech has also created a nasal drop version of the vaccine calling it Incovacc and has gotten approval for restricted use in emergency situations for people 18 years and above who have had two doses of covid-19 vaccines on September 6th 2022. Incovacc was developed in partnership with Washington University. The vaccine is developed mainly for low and middle-income countries as it is a cost-effective method that a person can take by themselves as it is a nasal drop.
Russia's Sputnik V, which had the first registered vaccine for covid-19 has also reported having made an intranasal vaccine but has not published any further information, nor have they presented their trial findings for the said vaccine.
Booster shots taken through the nasal track have been reported as better and more effective than the previous booster shots. Although they are not yet powerful enough to be used as a first dose but are more than capable as an immunity booster or booster shot.
Right now, most of the world has not caught up with this new and improved method but will soon as Washington university has partnered with Ocugen Inc, a biotechnology company based in the US to commercialise its nasal vaccine technology in Japan, Europe and The United States.
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