-By ArdorComm News Network
February 7, 2023
The first shipments of the world’s first intranasal Covid19 vaccine, iNCOVACC, were sent by Bharat Biotech on Monday to various locations throughout India.
“The first shipments of #iNCOVACC are being dispatched to various locations across #India. A moment of pride and accomplishment for team @BharatBiotech,” Bharat Biotech said in a tweet.
On Sunday, Dr. Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, announced that the company has begun sending hospitals the world’s first intranasal heterologous booster dose. “We have just dispatched nasal vaccines two days ago to the hospitals,” he said.
Dr. Ella informed about the distribution of vaccines during the UW-Madison Global Health Institute, and Ella Foundation agreement to establish the first-ever “UWMadison One Health Center” in India to improve vaccines, medicines, and global health education. iNCOVACC is the first intranasal COVID vaccine in the world to be approved for both a heterologous booster dose that is given as nasal drops after the first 2-dose schedule.
It is a Covid19 vaccine that does not need syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, bandages, etc., saving money on expenditures associated with procurement, distribution, storage, and biomedical waste disposal, which are often necessary for injectable vaccines. For purchases in large quantities by State Governments and the Government of India, iNCOVACC is priced at Rs 325 per dosage. The first COVID intranasal vaccine for Primary series and Heterologous booster, iNCOVACC (BBV154), was today dedicated to the nation by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), a global pioneer in vaccine innovation and development of vaccines for infectious diseases.
On the occasion of Republic Day, it was launched by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in the presence of Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh.
Read: Health minister Mandaviya launches the nasal Covid vaccination from Bharat Biotech
Adenovirus vaccine with a pre-fusion stabilised spike protein called iNCOVACC is a recombinant replication-deficient vaccine. Phase I, II, and III clinical studies on this vaccine candidate were reviewed with favourable outcomes. The intranasal vaccine has been created for effective distribution and simple, pain free administration. It is stable at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for easy distribution and storage.
Dr. Krishna Ella, the Executive Chairman, stated earlier in January that “With the rollout of iNCOVACC today, we have achieved our goal of establishing a novel vaccine delivery platform for intranasal delivery. It proves that India can innovate for itself and for the world. We and the country are well prepared for future COVID-19 variants and future infectious diseases.” He continued by stating that Bharat Biotech is a leading global vaccine developer and manufacturer, having produced more than 7 billion doses to date.
Source: ANI