Union Health Minister unveils world’s first intranasal COVID19 vaccine, iNNCOVACC

Tags: Science and Technology National News

Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on 26 January unveiled world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, iNNCOVACC in New Delhi.

An overview of the news

• The vaccine was launched in the presence of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology (Independent Charge).

• It is developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) in collaboration with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance (BIRAC).

• An initial manufacturing capacity of several million doses per year of the vaccine has been established, to be scaled up to one billion doses as needed.

• iNCOVACC has been priced at Rs 325 per dose.

• On September 9, 2022, Bharat Biotech's iNCOVACC, the world's first nasal COVID-19 vaccine, was approved for emergency use in adults.

• On November 28, 2022, Bharat Biotech announced that the vaccine has been approved for restricted emergency use in adults.

About iNCOVACC Vaccine

• Bharat Biotech's intranasal COVID-19 vaccine is a recombinant replicating adenovirus vectored vaccine.

• A recombinant vaccine means that it has been manufactured using bacterial cells or yeast cells or parts of a virus to introduce viral proteins into the host.

• It removes critical parts of the genome of SARS-CoV-2, so that the viral vector can no longer replicate.

• Phase I, II and III clinical trials of the vaccine have yielded successful results.

• The vaccine will be given intranasally through drops in the nose, a system that has been designed and developed to be cost-effective in low- and middle-income countries.

• The maximum temperature range for storage and distribution of iNCOVACC is two to eight degrees Celsius.

Working of iNCOVACC

• An intranasal vaccine stimulates a broad immune response by producing a wide range of antibodies including neutralising Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and mucosal Immunoglobulin A (IgA). 

• The vaccine also initiates T cell responses. 

• When the iNCOVACC vaccine is given to an individual, the immune cells in the body express the immobilized spike protein.

• As a result, the body starts producing antibodies against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.

• After a person is exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the immune system will block Covid-19 infection in both the upper and lower respiratory tract due to the presence of antibodies.

• Therefore, iNCOVACC has the potential to block SARS-CoV-2 and prevent the transmission of Covid-19.