Bharat Biotech’s nasal vaccine to cost around Rs 800: Sources

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Dec 27, 2022: A single dose of Bharat Biotech’s intranasal vaccine iNCOVACC, which was approved for inclusion into India’s Covid-19 immunisation programme last week, will cost Rs 800 each, apart from 5 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) in private hospitals, sources said.

 

“The government of India has approved the nasal vaccine. It will be used as a heterologous booster and will be available first in private hospitals. It will be included in the Covid vaccination program,” official sources had said.

The nasal vaccine — BBV154 — had received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in November for restricted use in an emergency situation for those above 18 years as a heterologous booster dose.

“Intranasal vaccine is another example of India’s research and development prowess in the vaccine development arena. Secondly, it is easy to administer and builds up immune barriers in the respiratory tract through which respiratory viruses enter the body.

“The intranasal vaccine is now approved and recommended as one of the options for precaution dose,” chairman of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) Dr NK Arora told PTI.

The intranasal vaccine iNCOVACC is a recombinant replication deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine with a pre-fusion stabilised spike protein. This vaccine candidate was evaluated in phase I, II and III clinical trials with successful results, the Hyderabad-based vaccine-maker had said in a statement.

Clinical trials were conducted to evaluate iNCOVACC as a primary dose schedule as well as a heterologous booster dose for subjects who have previously received two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin.

The vaccine was developed in partnership with Washington University, St Louis, which had designed and developed the recombinant adenoviral vectored construct and evaluated in preclinical studies for efficacy.

Product development related to preclinical safety evaluation, large-scale manufacturing scale up, formulation and delivery device development, including human clinical trials, were conducted by Bharat Biotech.

Product development and clinical trials were funded in part by the Government of India through the Department of Biotechnology’s Covid Suraksha programme.

The government has advised those eligible to take the precaution dose and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, including wearing masks and social distancing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Thursday cautioned people against complacency and urged them to wear masks in crowded places, while also directing officials to strengthen surveillance measures, especially at international airports.

Courtesy: India Today