New Delhi: Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that Bharat Biotech of Hyderabad and Serum Institute of India, Pune will start the clinical trials of intranasal Covid-19 vaccines. Currently, there is no nasal vaccine under trial in the country.
Nasal vaccines do not require any doctor or nurse as these are shots, which can be directly administered through the nose.
Bharat Biotech, which is developing India's indigenous vaccine, called the Covaxin, has entered into an agreement with Washington University and St. Louis University for the trials of the nasal vaccine candidate.
Codagenixis is collaborating with Serum Institute of India to develop its nasal vaccine – CDX-005, another vaccine candidate for the novel coronavirus. Serum Institute of India is presently conducting the phase two-three clinical trial of Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine.
The union health mister also said that the participants in the vaccine trial include people from various age groups, both young and old. Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine's phase three trial includes people up to 99 years old. He assured that the ongoing trials cover people from different age groups.