Bharat Biotech has announced the launch of its iNCOVACC (BBV154) intranasal COVID vaccine in India for use as both primary series and booster. In September 2022, India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) approved the use of iNCOVACC in adults aged 18 and older.
iNCOVACC is a recombinant replication-deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine that Bharat Bio licensed from Washington University in St. Louis in September 2020. In August 2022, the company announced positive results from a Phase 3 study of the vaccine.
Washington University in St. Louis professor Michael S. Diamond said, “It is exciting to see the deployment of iNCOVACC in India as a nasally-delivered vaccine and booster. The continued waves of COVID-19 infection necessitate new strategies to overcome transmission. By generating immunity in the upper respiratory tract at the portal of entry of the virus, this vaccine has the potential to better limit spread of the virus than other approaches.”
Bharat Bio Executive Chairman Krishna Ella commented, “With the rollout of iNCOVACC today, we have achieved our goal of establishing a novel vaccine delivery platform for intranasal delivery. It proves that India can innovate for itself and for the world. We and the country are well prepared for future COVID-19 variants and future infectious diseases. We reaffirm our commitment to India, to lead innovation and develop novel vaccine technologies for combating infectious diseases & public health globally. . . . Bharat Biotech is a leading global developer and manufacturer of vaccines with more than 7 billion doses manufactured till date.”
Read the Bharat Biotech press release.
