World's first nasal vaccine for Covid-19 iNCOVACC launched on Republic Day

The needle-free vaccine will be available at private centres. iNCOVACC will also be available on the CoWin platform.

New Delhi, Jan 26: Bharat Biotech's intranasal Covid vaccine iNCOVACC, the first of its kind in India, launched on Republic Day. It will be used as a heterologous booster and will be available first in private hospitals.

Launching the vaccine, Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said that over 65% of vaccines supplied in the world are from India.

Congratulating the BBIL team and the dept of Biotech for bringing about the world's first nasal vaccine, he stated that "being the world's first intra-nasal COVID19 vaccine, this marks a glorious tribute to the call for Atmanirbhar Bharat".

"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," said Bharat Biotech's Executive Chairman Dr Krishna Ella.

"It is easy to deliver and does not need any syringe or needle and most important it produces three immune responses, IgG (Immunoglobulin G), IgA (Immunoglobulin A), and T cell response. No other vaccine in the world can produce three responses," Ella said.

According to reports, the intranasal vaccine is priced at Rs 800 (excluding GST) for private hospitals and clinics and at Rs 325 (excluding GST) for the government.

The needle-free vaccine will be available at private centres. iNCOVACC will also be available on the CoWin platform.

A press release from the vaccine maker said Bharat Biotech Nasal Vaccine will cost Rs 800 + 5 percent GST. However, hospitals can add their own charges to this.

iNCOVACC is a cost effective covid vaccine which does not require syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, bandage, etc, saving costs related to procurement, distribution, storage, and biomedical waste disposal, that is routinely required for injectable vaccines. It utilizes a vector-based platform, which can be easily updated with emerging variants leading to large scale production, within a few months. These rapid response timelines combined with the ability of cost effective and easy intranasal delivery, makes it an ideal vaccine to address future infectious diseases.

A rollout of iNCOVACC is expected to begin in private hospitals that have placed advance orders. Initial manufacturing capacity of several million doses per annum has been established, this can be scaled up to a billion doses as required. iNCOVACC is priced at INR 325/dose for large volume procurement by State Governments and Govt of India.

The nasal vaccine -- iNCOVACC (BBV154) -- received approval of the Drugs Controller General of India in November for restricted use in an emergency situation for those above 18 as a heterologous booster dose. The approval for the vaccine comes amid a spurt in Covid cases in China and some other countries.

Key Attributes:

• An intranasal vaccine stimulates a broad immune response - neutralizing IgG, mucosal IgA, and T cell responses.
• Immune responses at the site of infection (in the nasal mucosa) - essential for blocking both infection and transmission of COVID-19.
• The nasal route has excellent potential for vaccination due to the organized immune systems of the nasal mucosa.
• Non-invasive, Needle-free.
• Ease of administration - does not require trained health care workers.
• Elimination of needle-associated risks (injuries and infections).
• High compliance.
• The intranasal vaccine is stable at 2-8°C for easy storage and distribution and has been designed for efficient distribution and easy pain free administration.