From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Hyderabad-based Indian company Bharat Biotech has an experimental nasal vaccine that may prove to be a pandemic game changer.
Vaccines by injection produce powerful, long-lasting immunity. But their protection against infection can be short-lived, and can falter as variants emerge. Nasal vaccines used as a booster may be the best way to prevent infections, because they provide protection exactly where it is needed: the mucosal linings of the airways, where the coronavirus first lands, according to The New York Times.
Mucosal vaccines coat the surfaces of the nose, mouth and throat with long-lasting antibodies, fending off infection and spread. Injected vaccines produce antibodies in the blood.
As NYT science reporter writes, “It is the difference between planting sentries at the gates to bar intruders and trying to oust them after they had already stormed the castle.”
Advantages: Immunizing with a nasal or oral vaccine would be faster in a surge than injections, which require skill to administer. A nasal vaccine is also likely to be more palatable to many (including children) than painful shots, and would circumvent shortages of needles, syringes and other materials.
Advances: At least a dozen other nasal vaccines are in development worldwide. Bharat Biotech’s may be the first to become available. In January, the company won approval to begin a Phase 3 trial for people who have received two shots of a Covid vaccine.
