Context: Ramping up its anti-Covid measures amid a surge in cases in other countries, mainly China, the Government has added Bharat Biotech’s intranasal vaccine Incovacc to its vaccination programme as a mix-and-match, or heterologous, booster dose.
About Incovacc:
Incovacc is the world’s first intranasal vaccine to be approved as a booster dose.
iNCOVACC, co-developed by Bharat Biotech and the U.S.-based Washington University, was approved in November for ‘restricted emergency use’ for those aged 18 or older.
The nasal vaccine is approved both as a primary dose and a heterologous booster.
Unlike Covaxin, which is an inactivated coronavirus injected along with an adjuvant, iNCOVACC is an adenovirus-vectored vaccine with a “prefusion stabilised spike protein”, which is more like the technology employed in the Covishield vaccines.
Advantages:
It promises to become an important tool in mass vaccinations during pandemics and endemics.
It is easy to administer as it is non-invasive and does not require trained health care workers.
It also eliminates needle-associated risks such as injuries and infections, has higher compliance and is scalable as far as manufacturing is concerned.