Covid-19: Bharat Biotech’s iNCOVACC nasal vaccine to hit markets from February; know prices, eligibility

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech`s intranasal heterologous booster dose is likely to be available in the market in the first week of February only, sources told ANI. Recently, Bharat biotech announced iNCOVACC (BBV154) as a booster dose in the country. 

It will initially be made available in private institutions and can be administered to anybody over the age of 18. It will be available on CoWin app. Due to its tremendous potential for immunisation, the nasal route has excellent potential for vaccination. 

Earlier this month, Bharat Biotech received approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for the use of heterologous booster doses of iNCOVACC. The vaccine is still not available on CoWin. 

According to the company, the price of iNCOVACC will be Rs 900 for the private market and Rs 325 for supplies to the Government of India and State Governments. 

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"iNCOVACC is a recombinant replication-deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine with a pre-fusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This vaccine candidate was evaluated in phases I, II and III clinical trials with successful results. iNCOVACC has been specifically formulated to allow intranasal delivery through nasal drops. The nasal delivery system has been designed and developed to be cost-effective in low- and middle-income countries." reads an official statement. 

Dr Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, said, "We have achieved the goals we set for ourselves during this pandemic. We have developed COVAXIN and iNCOVACC, two COVID vaccines from two different platforms, with two different delivery systems.”

“The vectored intranasal delivery platform gives us the capability for rapid product development, scale-up and easy and painless immunization during public health emergencies and pandemics. We thank the Ministry of Health, CDSCO, Dept of Biotechnology, Govt of India, Technology Development Board, and Washington University, St Louis, for their support and guidance." 

As a needleless vaccination, Bharat Biotech`s iNCOVACC will be India`s first such booster dose.

(with inputs from ANI)