Phase III trials of intranasal vaccination to start this year: Bharat Biotech chairman Dr Krishna Ella

Dr Krishna Ella, chairman and MD, Bharat Biotech International Ltd; (right) Non-invasive nature of nasal vaccine makes it ideal for children

Dr Krishna Ella, chairman and MD of Bharat Biotech International Limited, said that trials of the non-invasive nasal vaccine for very young children will start this year.

"During the wee hours of January 13, 2021, the first truck of Covaxin rolled out from the Bharat Biotech facility in Genome Valley, Hyderabad, and was successfully air-shipped to 11 cities in India, proving the naysayers wrong that India could not produce an indigenous, safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccine. Phase III trials of Bharat Biotech's intranasal COVID-19 vaccine is expected to commence this year. This is a non-invasive, needle-free, easy to administer vaccine, suitable for kids and adults. It is also very easy to scale the production to meet the global demand. Nasal vaccine can also be used as a booster dose against variants of concern."

Dr Ella added, "Covaxin is poised to export its vaccine to several countries this year, with the WHO and 20 countries granting emergency use listing/authorisation. Further, the process of getting regulatory approvals in 60+ countries is currently underway. Covaxin as a booster dose for adults and for children between two and 18 years is also being actively evaluated by many nations," he added.