Bharat Biotech and Precision Virologics have acquired the rights to a single dose intranasal COVID-19 vaccine developed at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the companies said. The agreement gives Precision Virologics rights to the chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine in the US, Europe, and Japan and gives Bharat distribution rights in the rest of the world.
Washington University will conduct Phase I trials, and Bharat will take responsibility for subsequent clinical trials in India. Bharat said that it plans to manufacture the vaccine at its Hyderabad facility.
An article published online ahead of print in Cell in August 2020 reported that studies of the vaccine in a mouse model demonstrated that a single dose administered intranasally “almost entirely prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection in both the upper and lower respiratory tracts.”
Precision Virologics Interim CEO and Washington University Professor David T. Curiel commented, “The ability to accomplish effective immunization with a single nasal dose is a major advantage, offering broader reach and easier administration. An effective nasal dose not only protects against COVID-19, but it also prevents the spread of the disease by directly targeting the cells that line the nose and throat. Most other vaccine candidates currently under development can’t do that.”
Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella said, “We are proud to collaborate on this innovative vaccine. We envision that we will scale this vaccine to 1 billion doses, translating to 1 billion individuals vaccinated receiving a single-dose regimen. An intranasal vaccine will not only be simple to administer but reduce the use of medical consumables such as needles and syringes, significantly impacting the overall cost of a vaccination drive. Our experience in viral vaccines, manufacturing capabilities, and distribution continue to be our strong suit in ensuring safe, efficacious, and affordable vaccines. It is prudent for Bharat to be involved in diverse but tenable projects to provide a much-needed vaccine against COVID-19 reaches all citizens of the world.”
Read the Precision Virologics press release.
