China and India approve nasal COVID-19 vaccines – will they be a game changer?

Two needle-free COVID-19 vaccines injected through the nose or mouth have been approved for use

These mucosal vaccines target the thin mucous membranes

How nasal spray vaccines can change the pandemic

"These approvals confirm the need for mucosal vaccines," said

Regulatory approvals from China and India bring the number of COVID-19 mucosal vaccines approved worldwide to 4, including one already approved in Iran and Russia

China's inhalation vaccine was developed by Tianjin CanSino Bioproducts Co.

The vaccine in India, developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, was approved as a two-dose primary dose rather than a

Both companies produce "viral vector" vaccines that use a harmless adenovirus to feed SARS-CoV-2 genetic material into host cells

Data from the CanSino inhalation vaccine phase II trial found that when injected as an enhancer, the vaccine was significantly more effective at raising serum antibody levels than injectable enhancers

Similarly, Bharat compared

It's unclear exactly how successful

There are few

Mucosal vaccines have been developed for other diseases, including poliovirus, influenza and cholera