NEW DELHI (CU)_A biotechnology firm in India has collaborated with an Israeli pharmaceutical company to develop an oral vaccine for COVID-19, which can be swallowed like a pill, instead of being injected the way vaccines usually do.
Sources have revealed that according to results of a preliminary trial conducted on animals, the vaccine is capable of producing the expected antibodies that confer protection, although these findings have not yet been reported in a scientific publication.
Promoters of the product say that based on further test results, the vaccine candidate may be ready for human trials within the next three months.
Oramed Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in Jerusalem, is engaged in the development of oral drug delivery systems, and has a long-standing relationship with Gurugram-based Premas Biotech in collaborating to develop new drug delivery techniques.
This oral vaccine candidate is said to be a protein-based virus like particle (VLP) vaccine, which generates “triple protection” against the COVID-19 virus, meaning it is capable of targeting the three proteins that are critical to the structure of the virus, namely the spike, membrane and envelope.
“The vaccine candidate is also safe, efficacious and well-tolerated at normal to high doses, and generated high titres of neutralising antibodies. The VLP is manufactured using Premas’ proprietary D-Crypt™ platform, which is highly scalable and can be manufactured on large scales,” Oravax said in a statement.
Oravax is the joint venture between Premas and Oramed which is developing the vaccine.
According to Premas Biotech’s Co-founder and Managing Director Prabuddha Kundu, an oral vaccine against COVID-19 would significantly accelerate mass administration.
“It would be like taking a vitamin pill and what I can disclose now is that we are more than 100% sure that the technology works and is promising. In a month we should have a scientific publication reporting our results,” he told The Hindu.
