the intranasal vaccine was safe, immunogenic, and well-tolerated, and it generated significant levels of neutralizing antibodies in animal experiments. According to the company, it has been given permission to undertake a Phase 2 randomised clinical study of “heterologous prime-boost combination of Sars-CoV-2 vaccines to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of Covaxin with BBV154…in healthy volunteers”.
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) have both contributed to the development of Bharat Biotech’s intranasal vaccination . They devised a plan to expedite research and development efforts, particularly in the areas of vaccine development, diagnostics, medication repurposing, treatment, and testing.
According to Dr RenuSwarup, secretary, DBT, the scheme was established to speed Covid-19 vaccine research efforts as part of the Centre’s third stimulus package. He expressed optimism about the nasal vaccine. He said, “The department through Mission Covid Suraksha is committed to development of safe and efficacious Covid-19 vaccines. Bharat Biotech’s BBV154 Covid Vaccine is the first intranasal vaccine being developed in the country entering into late-stage clinical trials”.
During Phase 3 clinical studies, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin was found to be 77.8% effective against symptomatic Covid-19 and 93.4 percent efficient against severe sickness. Around 53 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccinations have been rolled out in India, with Covishield, a variant of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, and Covaxin accounting for the majority of the immunization coverage.
