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COVID-19: Bharat Biotech To Begin Phase-1 Trials Of Its Intranasal Vaccine Next Month
Swarajya Staff
Dec 09, 2020, 03:45 PM | Updated 03:45 PM IST
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While it has already applied for an emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the Covaxin vaccine developed by it in close coordination with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech is also making steady progress with an intranasal vaccinal solution to prevent the contraction of COVID-19 disease.
The intranasal single-dose vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech is likely to initiate Phase one clinical trials next month. As per the company's managing director and chairman Krishna Ella, the trials will also be faster, reports Times of India.
This gains significance as all of the vaccines which are coming up as of present require two-dose intramuscular injections. As per Ella, for a country like India, this could lead to the need for whopping 2.6 billion syringes and needles which would add to pollution and waste considerably.
The company has developed the intranasal vaccine in a partnership with the Washington University School of Medicine in the United States (US)' St Louis. The first phase trials will also be beginning at St Louis University's Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit. Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech will begin Indian trials once it obtains the required regulatory approvals.
Other than this, the company is also setting up two more facilities which will be used for vaccine manufacturing.
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