World first Covid-19 vaccine administered through inhalation
A nurse prepares a dose of the CanSino Biologics vaccine against Covid-19 at a vaccination centre installed in Guadalajara, Mexico, on April 28, 2021. China’s pharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics Inc has manufactured Covid vaccine, administered through inhalation.
The world now has a first-of-its kind Covid-19 vaccine that is administered through inhalation. The vaccine has been approved for use as a booster dose.
The vaccine, whose trade name is Convidecia Air, was manufactured by China’s pharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics Inc.
Following successful completion of clinical trials that started on March 23, 2021, the vaccine was approved by the National Medical Products Administration of China.
It has since been included for emergency use with an alternative option through inhalation instead of the currently used injection into muscle.
“Utilising the same adenovirus vector technological platform as the intramuscular version Convidecia, Convidecia Air, provides a non-invasive option that uses a nebuliser to change liquid into an aerosol for inhalation through the mouth. Convidecia Air is needle-free and can effectively induce comprehensive immune protection in response to SARS-CoV-2 after just one breath,” said the company, in a statement.
Should the vaccine be approved by other regulatory authorities such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in the country, it will be a relief for people with fear of medical procedures that involve needles (trypanophobia).
The company used a vaccine technology called Adenovirus Type 5 Vector (Ad5-nCoV).
“Ad5-nCoV for inhalation is a genetic engineered inhaled vaccine used to prevent Covid-19 disease, which can not only stimulate humoral and cellular immunity (targeted immune response by the body), but also induce mucosal immunity (immunity received from vaccines administered through areas like the nose or mouth) to achieve triple comprehensive protection efficiently without intramuscular injection,” explained the researchers in a statement.
The WHO published that a similar vaccine type, administered through the muscles, has an efficacy of 58 per cent against symptomatic disease and 92 per cent against severe Covid-19.
However, the company has not publically shared the efficacy of the new aerosolised vaccine as well as its possible side effects.
“Data from a phase II trial of CanSino’s inhaled vaccine found that when given as a booster, the vaccine raised blood serum antibody levels significantly more than did a boost from an injection. This suggests that the inhaled vaccine will provide as good or better protection as the shot,” said an article published by the scientific journal Nature.
Pre-print version
In a study that is still in pre-print version published at the scientific journal Lancet, the researchers say a booster dose with the aerosolised vaccine is safe and offers potent immunity to adults who have received two doses of an intramuscular vaccine type called CoronaVac that was developed by a Chinese pharmaceutical.
The company now says that the goal is to ensure that the vaccine is available at scale in other parts of the world.
“CanSinoBIO has achieved steady production of various innovative vaccines and established a global supply chain, with a goal to continue to make quality vaccine products more accessible by the global population,” they explained.
In India, researchers have also approved a different vaccine administered through the mouth. Unlike China’s vaccine which is given as a booster, the vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech in India is given as a two-dose regimen.
In November last year, Russia’s Sputnik V started clinical trials on a nasal spray vaccination but there is no update on the status of the clinical trials.
